Love Without Your Heartbeat
by AngelGlass
Summary: After six years of courting, Jareth and Sarah were finally getting married. Unfortunately, life isn't fair and even if you have a basis for comparison, tragedy will strike when it sees fit. It will take all the self control Jareth has to see this through. Sequel to Dreams of Destiny.
1. The World Falls

**This is a direct sequel from Dreams of Destiny where we start off with the Underground wedding. This story can stand alone, but I do suggest reading that fic first. Anyways, I hope you'll enjoy the ride and on we go!**

* * *

Once again, Sarah was in her beautiful wedding dress though this time, she was marrying Jareth not as her husband only, but as her sovereign and he as hers.

Prior to the actual wedding, it was customary for faes in the Underground that the families of the bride and groom meet for tea. As Jareth had no family of his own, he invited Sarah's three companions as his family, much to Sarah's delight.

"Darling, you don't have to do this." She reassured him. "Truly. You don't have to invite my own friends just to make me happy."

Jareth held her hands in both of his. "Your friends have become family to me in many ways, and I am closer to them than most anyone. Ludo is sweet and kind, always willing to give me hugs when you're not around. Sir Didymus was chosen as a knight for a reason. He was stationed at the Bog only for your run and has been a good confident in secrets for the kingdom. Hoggle and I didn't get along for the longest time, but now, we are able to tease one another and I am lucky he has forgiven me of being so cruel to him in the past."

So to tea they went. As was customary, Jareth poured the tea for his bride first, then Robert as the oldest (and her real father), Karen as her stepmother, and Toby as the youngest. Sarah did the same to first Jareth, Ludo, Hoggle, and Sir Didymus as they just decided to go with age.

After the tea, the bride and groom were separated to their perspective chambers. Since they were King and Queen, they were dressed and taken to Goblin City separately, their families not seeing them until the ceremony.

They arrived at a field, surrounded by a river and many guests, all from different ranks and all of different races. It was a breathtaking sight, to see everyone who wanted to wish their king and queen a happy marriage.

"Citizens of the Labyrinth, today is an important day indeed." The officiator started. "For the first time in the Goblin Kingdom, we will have not just one but two reigning monarchs marrying today. Both have made solemn oaths to be king and queen of this land, and today, will be making paths to treasure each other."

He held his hands out and took Sarah and Jareth's hands, binding them together. "To be husband and wife is a lifelong journey, one that takes courage and love. Do you both promise to love and cherish each other, in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, for better for worse?"

"Yes." Both answered with a smile.

"You may recite your vows to each other, my King and Queen."

Vows in the Underground were considered optional as not everyone was marrying for love. In a show of passion, unity, and strength, Sarah and Jareth read their vows together.

Sarah decided that she would go first, just as she did at her Above wedding. Her vows here were almost exactly the same, but a little more detail added. "Jareth, since I was young, I so wanted a Prince Charming to sweep me off my feet and carry me away from my problems. Then, I find that I wanted to be an independent person as I was scared to fall in love after I ran the labyrinth and became the champion. Instead, I find someone much better, someone who doesn't take away my problems, but helps me fight through them. I found a king who was not a perfect person, but one to accept me for who I am and made my life worth living. You are strong and brave, but kind and gentle at the same time. To be able to be open to someone, to cherish him in a way that I cherish you is one of life's most beautiful gifts. I thank my stars every day that you would be with me even as the world falls down. I promise to do the same. I love you, and I give myself to be your wife."

Most vows by two heads of state were not so loving and sweet as most did not marry for love. Everyone saw the example these two set of being independent and taking care of duty, but also not sacrificing love if they could help it.

Jareth of course, returned his vow to his new wife.

"Sarah, as you well know, I did not find much affection in my life until I met you and your family. It almost felt wrong, me latching on to someone who shouldn't have to put up with my loveless past. But then, I realized that I had found someone special. Someone who would truly care for me. You pushed me to be a better, kinder person. You helped me to be open and to even go to therapy together alone and as a couple.

"Sometimes, the way forward is the way back. I had to retrace my steps to find you again, someone who had a piece of my heart. By retracing those steps, I found that I didn't just crave affection. I craved YOU as a person. And I cannot wait to spend the rest of forever with you. I give myself to you as your husband, now and forever."

The officiator tied a thin rope around their wrists and started the incantations. As was also customary, the audience would lend a bit of their magic to also help "tie the knot." It glowed, and finally, the King and Queen were officially married.

* * *

Jareth and Sarah made sure to spend time with their subjects as much as they could. Carving time, they met with the other heads of states and accepted gifts from every land. They didn't ask for any ordinary coupe gifts, insisting that they had everything they need. Instead, they requested for supplies for their people.

The Goblin Kingdom was doing well, but it never hurt for them to have more supplies as there were wished-aways from all places, not just from Above. Jareth and Sarah made sure hey set up top notch schools for the children and a good home as well.

But for now, they just stood politely, bowing and letting many kiss their hands (thank god Jareth convinced Sarah to wear gloves for this) during the reception.

After all of that nonsense (as Jareth called it), he and Sarah danced as the stars of the show. No one could argue that this was the most beautiful sight anyone has ever seen. Two graceful beings, dancing in the grand ballroom, twirling in perfect synchronization.

When that was done, Jareth took Sarah for a surprise. "My love, come here!"

Sarah furrowed her eyebrows, and walked through a portal. Honestly, they didn't need a portal, but with Jareth, everything was for dramatic effect.

"Oh Jareth!"

She gasped at her surprise. Beautiful peach blossoms lined the edges of the garden. Rose bushes and tulips in between and a lovely island was in the middle of this garden, surrounded by a nice moat.

There was a small rowboat to take them to the island, in which Jareth took his wife's hand and settled her in the boat. Smiling daintily, Sarah ran her hand in the beautiful, sparkling water.

In the middle of the island was another peach blossom tree where the couple sat down and marveled at the beauty of the garden. "I can't tell you how hard it was to keep this a secret my love." He ran a finger down Sarah's arm. "Oh, how I love you so."

Sarah wrapped her arms around him, pressing her lips to his gently before giving a playful bite on his bottom lip. "Jareth. You are just amazing! Thank you."

The king said nothing, just basking in how his bride was absolutely glowing. In the heat of the moment, he moved her over and reverently began to slip her shoes off, never taking his eyes off her.

"Oh no Jareth." She said half seriously, half playfully. "My feet aren't clean and they probably smell. Besides, we're outside." She knew that shoes weren't the only things he would be taking off with that kind of look in his eyes.

"Shh." He told her, still going slow. He ran a finger up and down each of her ankles. "Just let me. You are so beautiful, my love."

And so she let him. Of course, he wasted no time in grabbing her close and kissing her. His hands traveled up her hands to her arms, then to her shoulders, breathing in her scent, that unique smell that was Sarah's.

Sarah grabbed a fistful of his long hair and pulled his head back so she could have access to his throat. Jareth LOVED neck kisses, she found. And a few kisses just made him melt instantly.

As Jareth was enjoying he delicious kisses, he heard her take a sharp breath, one that he was not used to hearing when they made love. His instincts alert, he pulled back to look at her. "Sarah?"

In the split of a second, he went from beginning to ravishing his wife on their wedding day to panicking. Sarah's face was deathly pale and blue. Her eyes were large and her hands grasping at the front of his shirt, trying to breathe. She was suffocating, and Jareth could feel her heart racing faster than it should in her rising panic.

He instinctively looked around and saw a snake. It was a golden color, small like a garden snake slithering away from where the couple was. He lifted Sarah's skirt up and saw two tiny bite marks at her ankles.

In a fit of rage, he threw a crystal at the snake, catching it in a dome and used another crystal to call the castle's private physician.

" _ARTHUR!_ "

The man in the crystal turned around, instantly ready. He wasted no time in pleasantries as he knew that when Jareth was this angry. "Your Majesty! Where are you, Sire?"

"The Secret Garden! The queen has been bitten by a snake and is convulsing!" He was even more in shock as Sarah descended into more violent episode. Jareth normally had a good head in emergencies, but this wasn't just a soldier at war. This was HIS WIFE during their honeymoon!

Arthur was instantly at his side, but right as he was about to check on Sarah, she stopped moving. Completely.

"No." Jareth whispered. "ARTHUR DO SOMETHING!"

Arthur felt around Sarah's wrists for a pulse. But even as he did, he knew that he was too late, and in vain. With tears in his eyes full of sadness and reverence, he closed Sarah's eyes.

The Goblin Queen was no more.

* * *

 **IMPORTANT: Okay before ANYONE freaks out, yes Sarah is dead and SPOILER she will come back and everything will be fine. I feel I have to say that because everyone will leave if they think she's dead. I can't leave her dead guys like I wrote a beautiful fic of how she and Jareth came to love each other, I can't just let it end here. This is based on a Greek myth, care to guess what it is? Leave a review! I will make sure to put what the myth is either at the end of the story or wherever it seems obvious. Please do constructive ones and not just like ONE mistake. If you want to point out a grammar or spelling issue, please at least let me know how the writing itself is and if you're enjoying the fic.**


	2. Lost

**TRIGGER WARNING: lots of suicidal thoughts and self harm. This may be a hard chapter for some to read.**

* * *

Jareth was a man who was often careful of his word choice. He made sure to depict things as accurately as he could. Words had consequences. Words could also describe the most beautiful, and happy things in life.

But no words could accurately describe the pain he was going through. I will attempt to do so, but nothing will compare to the pain that cut through his soul the day after Sarah died. The day she was gone, he just walked around in a haze, not registering that she was gone. The world fell around him as everyone was preparing her body for the funeral right after their wedding and his detectives searching for the culprit. He just sat there, was shoved here and there by everyone who tried to make sure that even though their queen was gone, their king would still be safe.

He remembered the time when he was exiled from the Land of Mist for letting a goblin in. How scared he was then, and yet, he still at least had hope. He remembered the time when he was forced to marry Victoria and how he was contemplating his suicide so that he would cut himself off from being her tie to the Labyrinth so that one day, Sarah could come and rule as the rightful queen. He remembered that deep pain, that he had erased her memories of falling in love with him so she may be able to move on and be queen, but at least then, she would be alright. She could be happy.

Now, she couldn't. Now, she was lost from him forever.

For her death to be so soon and because of a stupid snake angered him. She had survived a real war against a fae princess/queen, and as a human back then! For her to die now as a fae queen form said dumb snake was almost an insult.

Jareth was not someone to do anything in a fit of range, not even when he saw the two disgusting excuses for humans try to rape his beloved. Even then, he did not kill them or even severely injure them. That, and the time he found his court was betraying him and his kingdom, were probably the times where he almost lost all control.

For Sarah, she had been his anchor. She had helped him get to therapy, to open up and to trust her as he had trusted no one before. She told him once that he had made her life truly worth living and happy. What he had always tried to show her was that she was also the light in his eyes.

With a sob and a yell, he grabbed a chair and threw it across the room, breaking window. Taking hold of the table cloth, he swiped everything down in one go, cutting through his gloves. Blood dripped from his hands, and he almost laughed at the pain, for it made him forget for one moment that his Sarah had died.

The chaos and pain FELT GOOD. He wanted to feel more of it. In therapy, their counselor and asked them if they self harmed and Jareth couldn't fathom why anyone on god's green earth would self harm. Suicide he understood, as in the minds of those people, it was a way to stop feeling the pain. But self harm? What could that do?

Well now he knew why. Pain was something that was not easily expressed, so having it on the outside calmed his insides a bit. It felt balanced and right.

He looked up at a poster in the library, one Sarah had bought. It was a poster depicting the time when David Bowie was dressed as Ziggy Stardust. Suddenly, Jareth remembered the time when Sarah found a picture of Ziggy with a knife at his arm, Bowie grinning maniacally like the theatrical artist that he was.

Grabbing a knife, he tried that, slicing it down his arm, satisfied at the blood oozing out. He thought about doing more, but decided against it. If he did it too fast, he would die and he wanted to feel the pain first.

Grabbing the bookshelf, he shoved it over and summoned a hammer, absolutely ready to obliterate said bookshelf. He didn't know how old the bookshelf was, it preceded him by many, many centuries most likely. He normally would be more careful at such a historical piece, but instead, just didn't care.

He smashed the thing to pieces, screaming swear words and gibberish. The only words that could be discerned was "Sarah" and "why," over and over.

Splinters all over covered his arms and legs, as he had ripped the ruined parts of his clothes off. Gone was the King that was very meticulous about how he looked and deliberate in everything. Here and now, he was an unrestrained, wild animal. In such a state of savageness he felt free and powerful, unrestrained by his mind and by any manners and rules.

And it felt so DAMN right.

He let out a scream, a long, long scream. One that nearly showed the pain in his heart, for nothing was adequate enough to describe that pain. Sarah was the beacon of his former dark and lonely life. She made everyone smile and brought to life everything she touched. Just seeing her walk in the room made him smile. Her laugh was contagious and sweet, like little bubbles popping in the summer from kids blowing them. Her very being was of goodness, pure and clean like a new flower after the first rainfall in spring.

Growling some more, he stomped out of the room, ready to destroy a different one. He went into the small kitchenette where he had built for himself and Sarah, just for themselves as they both loved cooking. He turned every chair upside down, every table was overturned. He grabbed a large knife and began to stab at the legs of the table repeatedly.

Then, he set everything on fire.

* * *

"Tobias James Williams, what on EARTH are you doing still up? And what is all that racket, are you watching some kind of violent movie? I knew we shouldn't have accepted that free TV from your Grandpa George. It'll rot your mind."

Karen went into her son's room, trying to discipline him even though she did so half heartedly. She was grieving over Sarah, everyone was. In Karen's family, their way of grieving was to let it out then get back to work, no matter how terrible you feel. Making yourself busy was the way to heal, as her father had told her. She had found that yes, it worked a lot of the time, for working could give the grieving individual a reason to live. However, it could be quite unhealthy as they would avoid the problem, burying it deep inside them. She didn't want to do that, but old habits die hard.

She still tried to have some degree of normalcy in her home. Grieving was okay, but watching violent films was not something she wanted Toby to do. Peeking into his room, she found him looking at something and she instantly started to sob once she realized what it was.

When Jareth first got his powers back, he had given Sarah a crystal to look through. Said crystal was to help her do a sort of phone call with but with video, and to look into Jareth's life, providing that he didn't shut the crystal down in privacy settings. That way, she could see how he lived his life. To respect each other's privacy, they only kept the thing on during working hours and weren't rude about understanding when they needed space.

Once Sarah got her own magic and lived with Jareth last year, a crystal was not needed anymore. She decided to give it to Toby, with Karen and Robert's permission of course and put limited hours on it.

It seems that now, Jareth had forgotten to "turn it off," so to speak. The crystal showed Toby every image of his brother-in-law throwing things and making a mess of himself. It was like watching a train wreck, you just can't stop.

Karen took the crystal from the boy, seeing that Jareth was purposefully self harming. Toby didn't even argue with his mother. He didn't even have a sorry look for peering into such a private moment. He just sat there, gathering his legs towards him.

"Mom?" His voice was sweet and quiet, reminding Karen a lot of Sarah when she was younger, before Toby was born. "What's happening to Jareth? Why is he so, so,"

"So scary and wild?"

Robert came in, and both his wife and son turned back, a little surprised as they weren't expecting him. He took Karen's hand and lead her over to Toby, also holding his hand. He sighed. "Toby, I think you know that this kind of behavior is coming from the fact that he just lost Sarah. She was the light of his life, and he has done so much to protect her, I can't even imagine. He is acting out, and we can't blame him. You should never hurt yourself, EVER. But Jareth needs help. He's not in his right mind. He is not to be blamed but needs comfort just like we do. Come here."

He gathered his son in his arms. Toby sobbed quietly, scared at the wild thing Jareth had become and still grieving over the sudden loss of his sister right after her second wedding ceremony. Karen joined them, the three wrapping their arms around each other.

After a few tears, Toby asked a question. "Should I go and check on Jareth?"

Oh, how pure this little boy was. He was just like Sarah, always checking on others. Karen quickly shut that notion down. "No, Toby. Though Jareth would never hurt you on purpose, he may accidentally. He may not even know what's happening to him. I know you have some magic but please don't go." She stole a quick glance at Robert.

Toby wasn't told this as they didn't feel the need to unless he asked (he was 11 years old, this was already a lot for him to handle), but Jareth had told nearly every single staff to take a week off and banned absolutely anyone from seeing him. It was absurd. None of his courtiers could talk sense into him and he ended up just nearly hurting them in a rage. His goblins were all literally kicked out and sent to the Bog, but were caught by anyone that saw the flying. No one could reach him. This has been happening for the past two days. He hadn't been destructive yet, just moping and heart broken, not attending his duties, not eating, not sleeping, and had watched every memory, every home video of Sarah, went through all her clothes and laid them out for himself to see, just anything.

Robert decided that this has gone too far. He decided to take matters into his own hands.

He knew that in order to get to the Underground, he needed to contact Jareth, who was currently not listening to anyone. So for that, he took drastic measures.

He looked at Karen and Toby. "I will be back. I promise. I'll take care of Jareth, don't you worry."

He cleared his throat, willing to do what he could for Jareth that he could no longer do for his little girl. Before he left, he made sure to grab Lancelot, Sarah's bear that she now gave Toby, along for the ride. "I wish the goblins would take me away."

* * *

"Hey, this looks familiar."

"Of course it does, doofus! It's a human!"

"My name is Gibby, not Doofus and you know that! And he isn't magical. Hey, why is he wearing Queenie's dad's clothes?"

"That's because I AM her father. Now can you all PLEASE take me to Jareth?"

Robert really wasn't used to these creatures. They were all fond of him and he found them amusing, but not no one really got them like Jareth and Sarah did.

One goblin gave him a strange look. "Well who's running the labyrinth if you're the one who wished yourself away? That's the rules!"

Robert groaned. "I'm sure Jareth will figure it out. He's a massive rule bender and does whatever he wants anyways. Just look at his hair. Don't you take all wished-aways to him anyways?"

"Oooooooh yeah we do! But he is angry. What if he kicks us into the bog?" One small goblin asked, as the bigger ones hoisted him up onto their backs to carry him.

Robert sighed. "Just drop me off somewhere nearby so I can talk to him. I won't let you get in trouble if you're taking me there. I promise." He emphasized that last sentence.

And off he went, to see the king.

When he arrived, he found that Jareth was even more insane than the images he found in the crystal. Now, he went from using tools to his body to ruin things.

He peaked in to see Jareth using his teeth to tear off the pieces of wood that was sticking out of the table. He looked like a monster, with his eyes bloodshot from lack of sleep, blood running down his limbs and sticking to his hair was ash from the fire he had set. His clothes were ripped and Robert heard strange noises coming from that he could only describe as "growling." His chest, heaving up and down, full of angry passion to destroy anything coming his way. The room next door was filled entirely with flames and Robert wished he had come sooner.

He remembered teaching Sarah to be brave, to be good and kind but above all, loving. He had to calm himself, and grabbed a nearby shield in the armory next door. If this had been nearly anyone else, he would have ran away. But for Sarah's sake, for his little girl who fell in love with a fae king, he would confront his son-in-law.

"Jareth!" Robert called out. "Please!"

Jareth looked up momentarily, a spark of consciousness appearing in his eyes. But only for a second, for he went right back to his rage.

"I DON'T CARE, ROBERT!" He roared through the fire, tearing a chair in half. "NOTHING MATTERS ANYMORE! SHE IS GONE!"

Robert's eyes filled with tears. This was the man that saved Sarah from assault many times when she was a human. This was the man that absolutely captured her heart and was so sweet and kind to his entire family. Even in this animalistic state, he loved Jareth. Like a son.

"Son!" Robert cried out. At the word, Jareth's eyes softened just a tiny bit, and his hands stopped destroying things and instead gripped the pieces of wood, knuckles white and his breath still.

"What?" Jareth managed to get out. It wasn't demanding, but full of surprise and unbelief in hearing Robert call him that.

Robert didn't say anything, but walked towards him. He held his hand out towards the king, without fear.

"Jareth, you ARE my son. The moment you proved yourself worthy to marry Sarah, back before she even finished high school, you proved everything. It's okay. You're hurting. I know. I lost my little girl, and you lost the love of your life. I can't pretend to understand what you're going through, but I can tell you that it's okay to hurt. But please, please don't let her absence turn you into this. Think about what SHE would want. She'd want you to be happy. She'd want you to mourn, to miss her, but to not hurt yourself over her." He laid a hand on Jareth's shoulder, the fae looking away in shame.

"If I hadn't pursued her," he sobbed out, "she wouldn't have died like this. This has to be an assassination, Robert. This was no accident. I've made her a target." Tears fell from his eyes, mixing with the blood on his face. Robert had thought earlier that Jareth looked like a monster. Now he thought he looked like a scared little boy, much like Toby.

"I am grateful that you came into her life. You gave her a reason to be happy. She was a flame that shone so brightly. She could've died in other ways, even if you hadn't courted her. A car crash. A fall. Anything. This is not your fault. Jareth, we are HERE for you. And no matter what, Sarah will always live on in your memories."

He held out Lancelot, and Jareth instinctively reached out to touch the bear, remembering how he had given it to Sarah when she was only five years old. Oh, how he remembered her sweet innocent face. He didn't fall in love with her then, not romantically as she was a child, but he was so drawn to her and wanted her to be happy in any way that he could.

Robert finally sat down next to Jareth. "Don't let her death take away all the wonderful things she brought into your life."

Jareth took a hold of Lancelot's arm, and looked at Robert with such fear and want of protection. "How?"

"One day at a time, my boy. One day at a time."

With splinters and cuts all over Jareth's body, Robert didn't care. He reached over and pulled him into a hug, letting him sob as much as he needed. Jareth hiccuped and coughed, all while Robert was cradling him like a small child.

"We're here for you. We will do this together. Let's get you cleaned up. It's okay to cry. It'll be okay."

* * *

Jareth had requested for some time off from his regular duties. Though his kingdom wasn't quite prosperous, it was still healthy and happy. He left any normal duties to his court, asking for a report at the end of the day and said he would only be disturbed by urgent matters.

As he had said to Robert, there wasn't a way that Sarah died by an accident. They took the snake and had it examined. It was unlike anything he had ever seen before. He asked his forensic alchemist and their team to work on understanding what made the snake so potent.

It seems that they have finished examining the venomous snake, which had accidentally been killed by Jareth when he had thrown the crystal dome over it, sealing off its air supply.

Jareth was in his personal study when a knock was heard. "Lady Amalthea." He greeted his forensic alchemist. He had hired her based on her credentials, as one of the geniuses in the court. She was loyal and honest, which helped him in times of trouble like this. He sat up from his usual lounging state to one of command. "You said you have finished with doing testing on the venom?"

The woman curtsied in front of him. She placed a vial down in front of him, a swirling magenta in color.

"Your Majesty, we have finished. This is no ordinary poison, as I'm sure you know. It has taken us a few days as it is one of the strangest things I've have ever come across."

"Really? Well that's saying something." He produced a crystal and rolled it back and forth to keep his hands busy. He hummed a bit. "You've been one of the top people in this profession before I even became king. Tell me, what makes this venom so different?"

Lady Amalthea produced a couple books and set them in front of him. Jareth raised his eyes, seeing that one book was an alchemist book and the other was a chemistry book, a human book.

"My lord, this venom is dangerous to fae, but let's say if you or I were to be poisoned by it, we wouldn't die. If you were bitten, you would've been saved. You'd be weak for a few days but you would have made a full recovery. It's made up of a lot of iron, which as you know was good for you in human form but ingesting that much as a fae is deadly. Also in the venom, there were some neurotoxins in snakes similar to the Above, ones that causes permanent muscle contraction which lead her Late Majesty-"

"No."

"Pardon, your Majesty?" Lady Amalthea looked a little nervous at his set jaw and upset demeanor.

"Just, don't refer to her as that yet. I know, she's gone, but please. For my sake." Jareth breathed out slowly. He knew it was putting off the inevitable, that Sarah was gone, but he couldn't bear to hear his subjects address her as such.

Amalthea bowed her head respectfully. "I understand, Your Majesty. As I was saying, the muscle contractions lead to her demise."

Jareth stood up and paced a little, trying to not act jittery. He still hasn't slept since Sarah passed, which was about three days now? Maybe four? He had no idea.

"My question to you is," he looked up at his alchemist, "why has she died? None of those things should've killed her as she is fae and those neurotoxins would only kill humans."

Amalthea conjured yet another book, one titled " _Changlings_."

"Your Majesty, though she is fae, she is still a changling. You know that she won't be a complete fae for about another few hundred years. That is what the venom has done, to pin point certain weak spots. You have given us permission to take her autopsy, and through her blood samples, we have found that by combining a large amount of iron and neurotoxins, they bounded together to hurt only a changling. It would have been easy to save a fae and a human, not an instant death. Her Majesty only had a few weak spots that could target her like so, and whoever concocted and bred this snake is obviously trying to kill only Queen Sarah and not you."

Jareth was stunned. This was beyond just tying to assassinate the monarchs, but was clearly aimed at hurting HIS Sarah, and Sarah alone.

He took a deep breath and looked at the scars on his arms from his outburst yesterday, willing himself to not go through that again. He gave a nod to his amazing forensic alchemist. "Thank you, my lady. I do ask that you all still keep the reason she has passed under wraps for a while, so we can have time to find the assassin. I release you all from that oath after a month."

Jareth had told Sarah's family, three close friends, and a few needed staff the reason for her death. He did not mention the snake to anyone else and prevented them from doing so. He needed to catch the culprit first and the less they know what he knows, the better. He was only holding them to keep that oath for a month because otherwise, it'll look suspicious on him and they may blame HIM for killing his own bride.

He gave a wave, dismissing her. "I thank you very much for the labors you and your team has put in to discover this. It means a great deal to me on a personal level. Please allow Lord Marcus in after you leave."

She gave a small curtesy, kissing his gloved hand as was customary. "Yes, my lord. If you need more studies done, do not hesitate to contact us." She walked out of the door, and in cane a young man with dark skin and kind brown eyes, full of reverence and sadness as he bowed towards the king.

"Your Majesty." He rose up a little slower.

Jareth held his hand out, indicating that Marcus should sit. He was quite fond of the boy, as he has helped Sarah in the Battle of the Crowns and remained so loyal to him. The boy held no prejudices and Jareth gave him an apprenticeship in the castle as a Royal Historian, where he was almost a master himself.

"You said you found something?" Jareth went to sit back behind his desk. He could tell just by looking at Marcus's eyes that they might've found something.

Marcus inclined his head politely. "Sire, my master and I discussed with Lady Amalthea and the zoologist, Lady Nix, about their findings. All sources lead the snake and its kind to one place; the Land of Giants."

Jareth didn't show any emotions, but his eyebrows went up ever so slightly. He waved his hand, and a piece of notebook paper and pen cane flying to his hands, and he began to jot some notes. "Go on."

"Our alchemists have been researching as well for its history. The snake has been banned many eons ago, as it is fatal to young fae children, giants, and changlings. To most anyone else, it COULD be fatal if they were not taken to a proper physician on time. The snake was also golden, making it a property of the Crown as King Charles and his father both have decreed that nothing in their kingdom should be golden except for jewelry, coins, and anything belonging to the crown."

"Are you suggesting that King Charles has something to do with this?" Jareth asked bluntly. Normally, such a thing would be frowned upon as a monarch accusing another monarch of treason is a high accusation that needed a lot of proof. And currently, Jareth did not have a lot of proof.

Marcus shifted in his chair uncomfortably. As Jareth's subject, this made this even more awkward for him as he wouldn't want to accuse King Charles of anything either.

Jareth leaned forward and spoke quietly. "Marcus, listen to me. The love of my life just passed away in an assassination attempt. I cannot overlook that. You don't know who they'll strike next. Let the protocols be damned. Just tell me what you think. Tell me your suspicions and I promise to not tell anyone else that they were yours as well. You have my word. You won't be accused of insinuating anyone for doing anything."

Maybe it was the promise that Jareth made that he wouldn't tell anyone. Maybe it was the fact that he saw such raw, pure, pain in his King's eyes. Maybe it was how he remembered how much he Sarah meant to him as a friend. Whatever the reason, Marcus relaxed and inclined his head again to Jareth. "Your Majesty, I would do anything to get rid of the assassin that has hurt Her Majesty. Thank you for understanding."

He ran his fingers along the arm rests, not meeting Jareth's eyes as he was still uncomfortable suggesting the name of the person he thought may be responsible for his friend's death. To suggest so to a monarch was a big deal.

He sighed, and spoke. "Sarah had confided in me, the night before the Battle of the Crowns, that the night before _that_ you had taken her to a ball, and introduced her as your intended. Do you remember the negotiations she made with King Charles for the supplies for the Restoration?"

Jareth stroke his chin, knowing EXACTLY where this was going. "Yes, I do. Go on."

"Well, I'm sure you also remember the insults he threw at her for being a human and unworthy to be queen. Sarah, being the feisty person that she is," he paused and shared a small smile with Jareth to remember the fire that burned in Sarah, "she countered back and said some words about how he might've killed his predecessor."

"Of course she did." Jareth sighed. "Although, she had every right to, as he accused her of forcing me to fall for her and called her an enchantress, making them even and if she hadn't insulted him back, she would've been seen as weak. So do you think he may have killed her over this? It seems a very petty thing for Charles to do, but we don't have any other leads. I'll take everything you've said into consideration. Thank you."

Jareth stood up and Marcus took Jareth's outstretched hand to kiss it as Amalthea had. "If you need anything, my King,"

"I'll call." Jareth smiled. "Thank you."

Once Marcus left, he leaned back and sat alone, thinking of his beautiful Sarah. He tried to not dwell on anger or the unfairness of the situation or direct it at the assassin. He tried to focus on who Sarah was and how to keep her memory alive.

He conjured a crystal, watching his memories of her. He decided to watch an old favorite, their first date.

He realized that she looked ever so young, at just 18. He saw how nervous she was but oh, how excited she was to be going on a date with him as he handed her a tulip and kissed her knuckles like a gentleman. Her eyes green and vibrant, her smile as bright as the sun that could warm him up on even the coldest of days.

He watched her argue with him, refusing to accept his help in mini golf until he had to stand behind her, wrapping his hands on hers, making her nervous. Oh, how he loved to tease her! It would come that as Sarah got more and more confident, she was able to tease him back.

He fast forwarded it a little; to their second date, when he finally told her how much he loved her. He watched intently, as she professed her love and her willingness to sacrifice for him.

He knew that she would want him to be happy.

It's a difficult thing, trying to be happy when the person who brought you so much happiness has gone. Jareth was no exception, but he would try, try as he could for his Sarah.

She had been his future. He didn't know what he would do now that she was gone. He knew that he wouldn't ever marry again. Even if he could love again, he would never love anyone as much as Sarah and that would be totally unfair to anyone who tried to love him. He would have to pick someone to be his heir one day, which will probably come after her family had all passed. He had once considered Toby to be his heir, but now he realized that it may be too dramatic for the boy and he was afraid Toby would suffer the same fate as his wife had from the prejudices.

How he wish that he could go to the Summerlands with her too. He steered his mind away from those thoughts. It wouldn't do good to die by suicide. Though may not _feel_ his life was worth living, he had a lot to do and many who depended on him.

For the first time since Sarah passed, he tried to go to sleep. Soft sobs rocked his whole body as he laid in a fetal position. He clutched Sarah's clothing, bringing it near him and he breathed in her scent. He hugged her nightgown and her favorite pillow, remembering his proposal to her and how that was the first night they had been intimate. Oh, how he loved her so. How he was so lucky to have been her husband.

And with that, he went to sleep.

* * *

 **There's no talk of how they would revive her in this chapter, as I wanted to show what a true, grieving Jareth will be like. As I promised, it will come back around and Sarah will be okay. I know, major spoiler, but I wanted you to know that it ends happy.**

 **The grieving is based on a few things. The violence was based on how a friend of mine reacted when her brother died. The more subtle, crying part, that was based on my mom and I when my father passed. I figured Jareth would be more violent about it if Sarah died. In many ways, this was the hardest thing I've ever tried to write, to try to capture the emotions you feel when someone you love dies. But in many ways, it was easy too. I have experienced less where you are okay with it one day then you can't quite comprehend that they're gone.**


	3. Hurts Like Hell

**You may wonder why I don't have song lyrics on here when I did in Dreams of Destiny. That's because I wanted to have a stark contrast between that fic and this depressing fic. If you are still reading this, thank you so much and please leave a review!**

* * *

Jareth had a plan. He wasn't sure if it would work, but he'd try. He didn't know who the assassin was, but he'd be damned if he didn't catch whoever they were. They may have a personal feud with Sarah, or could try to undermine his rule.

And his first suspect was King Charles of the Giants.

He had a meeting with Sarah's three friends.

"Good morning." He said pleasantly, making Hoggle in particular a little nervous. They were all aware of his erratic behavior earlier and knew that as sad as they were to lose their dearest friend and queen, no one was more hurt than her husband.

"I have called you here today to help me with something related to Sarah." Her name came out with difficulty, him still not quite grasping that she was gone from him forever. "There is a possible assassin coming here tonight. I need all of you to hide within the walls, and when I signal, I need you to do your parts.

"Hoggle knows the passages of the castle well, and I need you to alert the guards in the armory if I signal. Didymus and Ludo will help me to fight if necessary."

"Ludo King and Sawah fwend." He said simply. Hoggle stepped forward a little. "For Sarah, we will do it, Your Majesty. And for you, for you are our friend too."

Sir Didymus also stepped forward. "I have served the crown and My Lady, I am willing to do what it takes to help you, Sire."

All three bowed. "Anything, Your Majesty."

Jareth gave a few more instructions and wished them well. "You are all good friends to me. I am honored that my wife has picked you to be her friends as well."

* * *

King Charles entered the room, a large man as he had shrunk himself to be the size. The King of Giants and King of Goblins bowed down politely to each other, one hand in front and the other behind their backs as they took their places at the dinner table. As the guest, Charles sat to Jareth's right.

The King of Giants looked around, realizing that he and Jareth were eating alone. This was odd, as there would at least be at least a guard or two to protect them both, but none were there. He could feel tension in the air, but he often did with Jareth so he dismissed it.

Charles held out his wine and made a thank you toast to Jareth, to which Jareth smiled and politely drank the alcohol. Both took few bites of food, Charle's eyes darting back and forth between his food and the King of goblins. "I thank you, Jareth, for inviting me to visit so soon. I offer you my condolences for your loss and the kingdom's loss. I know it must be very difficult for you to have lost Sarah. I must say, you are getting back into the swing of things quite quickly."

Jareth didn't meet Charle's eyes. He was trying to calm down, for Charles may not be the person who actually hurt Sarah. Still, it was hard for him to keep his temper down now that she was gone. He cleared his throat and kept on poking at his food. "Yes, well, my mother-in-law suggested to us to grieve but getting back to work can help us heal as well. I figure, what better way to honor Sarah than for a negotiation between our two kingdoms to allow more integration and peace?"

Jareth had invited Charles under the guise to discuss a possibility that the Giants could go Above, since Jareth was the one who had access between the two realms since the Labyrinth was the border between the two worlds. Allowing more integration between the different species and humans (though said species would still be disguised as humans as a whole weren't ready to be told about magic again quite yet), that could reduce the prejudices by quite a bit. Not to mention the fact that the giants could have direct access to a lot of magical ingredients not found Underground. Jareth was only letting a few go Above at a time, so he could keep tabs on them. He had hoped that once Sarah was strong enough, she could help him with more of them and maybe their children or whoever they could trust to do the work as well. Obviously, that wasn't going to happen, and if Charles was innocent, then they would plan that negotiation between the kingdoms.

Charles wiped some food off his face. "Why yes. I think that would be splendid. Your Sarah had quite a vision, did she?"

"She did. And I will make sure that it is not in vain." Jareth replied nicely.

"Well, of course. Such a noble thing to do, and I am not one to be in the way of a grieving widower who just lost his bride. Speaking of Sarah, how did she pass?" Charles stabbed a fork into his chicken, before changing his mind and just eating the entire thing, bones and all.

Jareth tried to not cringe at his guests's eating habits. Why Charles was like this, he had no idea. Not even Charle's father, the late King of Giants, was like this. But of course, he held his tongue and tried to quiet his organs so they wouldn't freak out at him for no reason.

He also wasn't very keen to answer how Sarah died. It was a little insensitive of Charles to ask, as it had only been a week since her passing. But, to go forth with his plan, he indulged the giant. "Well, Sarah and I were together, of course, ready to go on a honeymoon. All of a sudden, this snake comes out of nowhere and bites her." He looked down, choking on his tears. Even recounting just a little of the details out loud made him sick. The image kept playing in his head, of how he was kissing her then she started to convulse. It haunted him, and he tried so hard to not think about it.

Charles gave a look that Jareth supposed was supposed to be sympathetic but it came off as very insincere. His eyes weren't full of kindness, more of nonchalantness.

"Jareth, I'm so sorry to hear that. Do not blame yourself. Sarah was strong, but not strong enough to withstand the poison. There was nothing you could've done, I'm sure." He took another sip of wine, seemingly eager to distance himself from this narrative.

Jareth looked at Charles, trying to study this king. Though Charles was a big mouth (that was useful), he was also hard to read when you wanted to read him the most. It irked Jareth to no end. How he wish he could just get the information he wanted out of him.

"I suppose." Jareth shrugged. "Still, I do wish I had been more careful. I should've been looking to make sure that we were safe and have been more alert. She was in such pain." He wasn't sure if he was talking to Charles or himself at that point.

Charles gave a look of pity. "Don't blame yourself. How would you have known if she would've been bitten at the ankle or not? It's not your fault at all." Charles took another large bite of food.

All of a sudden, strong vines came out of Charles's chair and wrapped themselves around the king. He choked, looking at Jareth in fear.

Jareth was the exact opposite as he had been when Sarah had died. He was now calm, no longer raging. He stood up in his chair and snapped three times. Charles winced, expecting more magic, but instead just heard some scuffling in between the walls.

Jareth grabbed the top of the Giant's hair and yanked it back, hard. Charles whimpered, and Jareth leaned in close. "You COWARD! You stupid, stupid COWARD!"

He threw Charles's head back, the giant still unsure of what to do. Jareth never took his eyes off of him. "I never mentioned _where_ she was bitten."

Just then, the doors bursted open, Jareth's men and women warriors all had their weapon of choice pointed at the Giant. Ludo was behind them and Sir Didymus was among them as well. Jareth cocked his head to one side. "Send him to the dungeons."

* * *

In the dungeons, Jareth went to face Charles, the fae king's eyes were large and red from weeping. Without a word, he produced a crystal, throwing it into Charles's head. As soon as he realized Sarah's death was no accident, he commanded that truth serums be made immediately. They were hard to make, and Jareth rarely used them as it took one's agency away.

For him though, he didn't want to wait around for Charles to admit it. He needed to know NOW the whole truth.

The crystal had sunk into Charles's head, like a bubble. The king of giants looked dazed and scared. He knew exactly what that crystal meant. There was no mercy for him now, no. Jareth was a good and just king. But, if you came to hurt his subjects or the people he loved most, he would never forget it.

Ever.

The Goblin King wasted no time in his interrogation. "Why do you have that type of serpent after it has been banned?" He flipped his cape to the other side, pleased that Charles shook in fear.

Charles felt himself speak, due to the truth serum. "My family has bred them for as long as we have existed. We haven't stopped now and won't if we can help it."

Jareth lifted his hand up, his riding crop appeared in his hand. The Fae King tapped it on the ground as he paced back and forth. His next question was plain and simple. "Why kill Sarah?"

"She has insinuated that I had something to do with my father's early passing, and I have, for he had been contemplating my ability to rule. Furthermore, she is a human, and as you know, the first human to be a monarch Underground. What do you expect will happen? Humans will come from Above and take over. Have you forgotten what integration with humans did to us magical folk? We were forced to run and hide! Not to mention YOU marrying her, mixing your pure fae blood with her dirty human blood when you were married to a fae queen in the first place."

Jareth growled and tipped the riding crop under Charles's chin. "I haven't forgotten my history. I've told you that if we cannot open borders, we will just take the things humans have created and learn from them, like technology. We aren't planning on making ourselves known to humans this instant you fool. And, for the record, we don't need humans to lead us to our demise, it is clear that folks like you are self destructive already."

He was tempted to kick and spit on Charles, but he couldn't do it. Not when he knew that it may lead him onto a path of self destruction again. Instead, he focused on Sarah. "Sarah is a human who was made to be queen. You know the Labyrinth as well as I have chosen her to be queen regnant and my bride. Because of her, I have restored my kingdom to where it was before I was lost in my owl form. Because of her, you got your stupid goose that lays the golden eggs. And, for you to suggest that I, as a king, would choose a wife poorly and without substantial proof, you have trespassed in my personal life and in MY authority as king."

Jareth's eyes got large and nearly red. No one was allowed to tell him what to do, especially this overgrown child. He got his riding crop and jabbed it at Charles's chest.

"How DARE you say that her blood is not pure! You and everyone who thinks that the likes of the late Princess Victoria was a better bride for me than my Sarah, you all deserve to be thrown in the Bog of Eternal Stench!"

He held up a crystal, and rolled it a little. It began to play back their conversation. Charles gulped, knowing that he was damned now. His words would be used against him in his homeland, declaring him unfit to be king as he had killed his father and killed another monarch.

Jareth made the crystal pop, sending it to his study. The entire time, the look of malice hadn't left his face and his eyes were tired and full of the greatest amount of disdain. "For sending the putrid snake into MY private garden, you have trespassed into my kingdom. You have murdered another monarch and have put my kingdom in danger, not to mention treason of your own kingdom."

He got up, and circled Charles like a vulture. There was no kindness in Jareth's eyes. No playful grin. No teasing attitude. Just pure, pure indignation. He wanted JUSTICE.

He grabbed Charles's collar and pulled him close so their noses were nearly touching. He growled, letting Charles hear the angry sound from his chest, to scare him more. "More than that, you have killed the love of my life. You have taken what I have fought for. You have taken the life of an innocent woman who deserved to life a full and happy life, all because you are prejudiced. No one takes what is mine away from me. It's too bad that you will pay with your life."

Never let it be said that Jareth was not a ruthless king when someone wronged him this badly. By having proof that Charles was a cold blooded murder, Jareth had every right to execute Charles. He produced another crystal, it turned into a paper with a pen, writing things down as he spoke.

"King Charles of the Giants." He said quietly, though with just as much malice as he had in him before. "I hereby sentence you to death tomorrow at dawn. You have killed my wife and queen, another monarch, and only because of your own prejudices. You have also killed your own father, and by the laws of your land, you have committed treason. You will be beheaded and suffer a death without magic for you deserve to die as the humans you so hate. May the afterlife treat you better than you have treated my wife in life."

* * *

That night, Jareth surprisingly fell asleep quickly. Must've been from all the exhaustion that finally caught up to him.

Jareth knew he was dreaming, but he tried to not think that he was. Sometimes, he would dream about random things. Lately, he'd been dreaming about Sarah, and only of her since she died.

Tonight though, it was the first dream of her since she died that was a happy dream.

It was a memory actually. She was 17, nearly 18, set in her home right after she had freed him from his owl form. His arm was bleeding and in pain from an accident he had an as owl, but that didn't deter him from being the huge, charismatic flirt that he was.

He played ping pong with her, both feeling exhilarated. He hadn't felt that way in so long, and so carefree. Though his arm was hurting, he wasn't about to relent and let her win. No matter how much she was baiting him.

Then, in the middle of playing, a bright light appeared to his right, making him lose his balance.

"Seriously?" He yelled at the woman that walked in. "You can't just wait even a little? I need a break and you interrupted my memory of playing with Sarah!"

He pouted like a child, looking at the woman that walked into the room. She was beautiful and glorious, like the sun. Her eyes were full of sadness and seriousness, much like the last time she appeared to him. He folded his arms and huffed. He didn't care about being polite anymore. He didn't care about anything since Sarah died, if he was honest with himself.

She didn't respond to his childish outburst. Instead, she looked at Dream-Sarah, her eyes full of sadness and pain. Then, she finally turned to Jareth. "Child, I know you are in pain. Believe me, when Sarah accepted her place as queen, I felt her death and it almost killed me as she became the other half of my heart. As for you, since you are also my heart, I can feel your pain. I am not exaggerating when I say I know exactly how you feel."

Jareth refused to meet her eyes, angry tears falling down his cheeks. "Where were you? Where were you when she died? I could've saved her if you had warned me."

Labyrinth reached out, putting her hand on Jareth's shoulder. He didn't move away, but he still refused to meet her eyes. She spoke softly, knowing the pain he was in. "I am bound by ancient magic, as you well know. I could not interfere."

He glanced at her, a look of disdain clear on his face. His lips were in a tight line and his eyes scrunched together and angry. He moved from her so she was no longer touching his shoulder. "So why are you here? To comfort me? To find a new bride? Because if you are, just leave. I don't need any of this right now."

Labyrinth sighed and took one of his hands in both of hers, like a mother pleading her son. "Jareth, please. I am here to tell you that Sarah may not be totally lost."

At this, he perked up. "Not lost?" Surely, she wasn't suggesting that Sarah could come back, did she? He couldn't take any false hopes anymore.

She nodded. "It is a huge risk, but for you, someone who loves her so wholeheartedly, I know that a life with her will be lonely and heartbreaking with every step. I had debated on letting you grieve as one should, but I think you should go find her."

Jareth pulled his hand from hers and rested both his hands on her arms. His eyes were large and desperate. "How? How can I find her? Oh Labyrinth, I will do ANYTHING to bring her back!"

She looked at him, a sad smile on her face. "You may not succeed. You may be lost in the process as well. Once again, I cannot tell you how to find her. All I ask is that before you do, to name an heir in case you are lost too. Set precautions and be careful.

"I can only give one hint, and that is this: Things aren't always what they seem."


	4. Nothing As It Seems

Right when he woke, Jareth went to find every book in his castle that had to do with the afterlife. He searched everything about the Summerlands, with nothing about being able to come back. "ARGH!"

He slammed yet another book shut. How was he supposed to do anything? "My whole life is just a damnation!" He bellowed. He couldn't find ANYTHING and Labyrinth's stupid hint didn't help at all.

He heard a crystal making a ringing sound next to him. Calming down a bit, he twisted the crystal a few times to see the face of his brother-in-law waving. Grinning, Jareth waved back. "Hello Toby!"

"Hi Jareth!" He called. "Are you still coming to dinner tonight? It'll just be us and Mom and Dad. We're having some salmon and Mom says you can bring the dessert by the way."

Jareth smiled. Though no one could make him smile like Sarah, Toby was close. He supposed that a break from finding her would do him some good. Plus, he was hungry as he hadn't been able to retain food very well since she died.

Toby's large blue eyes and curly light-brown hair bounced a little, excited to see Jareth. He had missed Sarah so much and Jareth as well. He was glad to have him come over for dinner.

"Do you think maybe we can play chess? I have this sweet chess set Sarah got me for Christmas, and no one wants to play with me. They all want to play video games and such."

He looked a little sad, and Jareth felt for the boy. He promised he'd play and told him that he had to do some work first before going to dinner.

He sat back and sighed contently. For the first time, he felt just a small glimmer of happiness and something to look forward to. Even with Sarah gone, her family still adopted him as theirs.

* * *

Just as he promised Karen, he wouldn't just "poof" into the living room, but at the front door like a "normal" person wearing "normal" clothing. The only hing not "normal" was his wild hair.

Karen didn't say a word when she saw him, but gave him a large hug. "Oh sweetie." She said softly. "I'm so glad you're here."

They had all seen each other, of course, but at the castle and not as anything close to normal as having a dinner. The King shyly held a tray of peach cobbler, his specialty. "Does this work for dessert?"

"Oh yes!" Karen took the plate from him. "This works nicely. Go have a seat, Toby is waiting for you and Robert and I will get everything ready, don't worry. Toby really misses you, you know?" She put a hand fondly on his shoulder, trying to give him some motherly comfort.

Jareth held out his arms for Toby to run into. "Jareth!"

"Why, have you grown?" Jareth ruffled his head. Toby smiled even bigger at the compliment. "I hope so! Can we play chess after dinner?"

Jareth took his usual place in the middle, where he normally sat between Sarah and Toby. "Of course. I can't wait."

Dinner was polite and a little fun, though not nearly as fun as it was with Sarah. Everyone felt her loss and it was so difficult to not just cry. They tried to talk about the good times, the times Sarah made them laugh and the times she did all she could to make them smile. Even in death, the very mention of her sweet person still made Jareth warm and happy inside.

Karen asked Jareth something they never really talked about before, religion. It was mostly avoided as Robert and Sarah weren't very religious, so Karen never pushed them to go to church with her. She always invited them though, and Sarah would go to church maybe for Christmas and Easter with her if nether Robert or Toby wanted to go. Karen wasn't particularity loudly religious, but she volunteered in many humanitarian settings now that she and and Robert were no longer poor. She didn't put pictures of Jesus around her house, for example, but tried to radiate goodness by being a good person.

"Jareth, Easter Sunday is next week. Would you like to come with me to church? Sarah used to come and you don't have to, but it may be good for healing. Maybe just try it out."

Robert tried to not roll his eyes and Toby looked obviously bored. Jareth just didn't get Karen, and he just had to ask her a few questions. "That's very thoughtful of you. But, how do you think it'll help? I've been wondering what you thought of your God and religion now that you know that magic is real and you have a Fae that's a Goblin King as a son-in-law." It never ceased to amaze him that humans could be so rooted in their beliefs even after seeing how things worked.

Karen shrugged. "Who knows. Maybe Jesus isn't real. It just feels good to go to church. I know, I know." She saw Toby's face. "Other religions do the same. I was just raised Christian, and who's to say Jesus isn't real? Maybe he is. Maybe he isn't a deity or maybe he is. I don't know. There are many ways to learn to be a good person and this happened to be the way I learned it. Maybe I just feel some kind of comfort, as the stubborn woman that I am." She chuckled.

Jareth blinked for a moment, and made a mental note in his head about an epiphany that came while Karen was talking. However, he didn't show anything to her or admitted about using vision with Labyrinth. He didn't want to raise anyone's hopes up.

Smiling, he nodded and declined Karen's gracious offer and continued his lovely time with his bride's family, all while itching to go back to his libraries.

* * *

"Things aren't always what they seem." He muttered. "Maybe, I'm searching for the wrong places."

The Summerlands was where faes went after they died for peace. He had assumed Sarah was there, as she was fae.

But what if he was wrong? What if, for some reason, she wasn't there?

He changed his search tactic to look up different forms of the afterlife. Many human beliefs from many religions were listed on there, but not all. It was still unclear of where humans went for the afterlife, but in every case, there was a sort of heaven and hell, and things in between or nothingness if they so choose.

"Hmm, what's this?" He found a green book with gilded edges. It's obviously old, but yet, it looked new at the same time. He blew dust off it, and saw the title, "Rituals for Afterlives."

He flipped through the pages, eyebrows furrowing in concentration. He saw a few rituals here and there that humans would do for the dead. Back when humans did magic, some believed that rituals were required to give the dead peace, and many of those traditions were still there.

He was about to snap the book shut when he came across a strange image that depicted most of the different afterlives. Finally, FINALLY, he found something that peaked his interest.

It was a way to determine WHERE the dead had gone.

He read the spell and found that it really wasn't difficult to make, not for him anyways. The difficult part was the limited ingredients.

"If they would just ask for slime and snails, or even puppy dog tails, that would be so much easier than this ridiculous list they're asking." He sighed.

Taking a pen and paper, he wrote down his list for the spell he needed to do. He was determined to get her back if at all possible. He said he would be there for her when her world fell and he intended to keep that promise.

* * *

Jareth felt like one of those ridiculous witches that were often in children's stories as he was throwing ingredients in a small black pot and stirring it with a wooden spoon. He coughed a bit as the smell from his potion was just putrid.

"Ehhh." He groaned. "This is stupid." Only Sarah would compel him to do such a thing. This was the craziest spell he ever had to do in terms of obtaining the ingredients. He climbed to the top of Mount Everest to collect snow, sea water from the four large oceans, a plant from all the continents (yes, even Antarctica), get an object that was important to Sarah (he chose a charm from her bracelet that he given her on her first date since he could replace it), a lock of her hair, and a few other magical ingredients that were easy to come by like a boar's heart or pig intestines.

He wondered if his concoction was worse smelling than the Bog. The sadistic part of his mind wondered if he should ask his subjects and threaten them with this. He smiled a little, knowing that Sarah would no doubt scold him on thinking such thoughts.

He added the last ingredient, some jade he had purchased from China. It was a precious stone, one that was quite strong and claimed to have special powers. The stone made the potion glow bright green and he sighed, seeing that he was done.

"Finally." He growled. "All of that work! Took me weeks to get everything. Bleh. I need to kick some goblins to cheer me up."

He dipped a small shot glass into the potion and lifted it up to his face. "Just think of it like doing shots of gross vodka." He told himself, gulping.

He held out the shot glass to no one in particular, his eyes a little worried and paranoid about getting the results right. "For Sarah." He whispered.

And with that, he drank the potion.

* * *

Instantly, he was knocked backwards, but he didn't fear for he knew this would happen. "I should have been laying down." He muttered to himself.

It was a strange experience. One moment his eyes were closed then the next he was floating. He tried to not panic, for it did seem like he was dead. He looked down and saw that he had a spirit body of some sort and his hands were see-through. He looked back and saw his sleeping body on the floor. Satisfied, he looked up at the clock and was horrified to see that an hour had already passed, for he only had three hours to find his Sarah's spirit.

In front of him, also in "ghost form," Sarah's engagement ring was floating, and swaying. The book had told him that a different object that was important to her would be guiding him to her spirit. So off he went.

The little ring was too fast for him, so he transformed into an owl and flew after it. He chirped, a little surprised to see it move Aboveground. What did this mean for him?

He kept on following it, realizing that he could go through walls and such. He didn't often go through things even when he could as it made him feel strange when it did. He only did it to throw people off as well as it took a lot of energy, much like when he scared Sarah on purpose when she ran his labyrinth.

The ring appeared at a strange bar, lots of noisy musicians drinking and playing as well as couples singing and dancing to the songs. "Must be some indie band." Jareth thought to himself.

It looked like a fun place, but he couldn't help but think that it looked a little dark and dank from the outside, quite sketchy if he was honest with himself. He still wondered why he was there.

Going to the back of the bar, the ring descended through a sewerage hole. Jareth blinked. Why on earth would Sarah's spirit be down there?

Nevertheless, he dove after it. He'd sacrifice for her, do anything for her. This was part of it. On he flew, seeing that he didn't descend into the sewers, but in fact, he saw mountains of bones and skulls, parting a way for a small dirt path, toning green everywhere.

Now he was even more confused, but on he trekked. He flew past a little hooded man on a boat. He felt so strange being there, cold, and hopelessness. As if he was lost. Looking down at the river where the little man was, he realized that there were bodies on it. What WAS this place?

On a closer look, it wasn't dead bodies, but in fact, _souls_. Souls that cried out for life, to receive peace. Damned to an eternity of feeling lost, Jareth pitied them. They sensed him, a live being as his soul was still attached to his live body.

That should've been the clue to him as to where he was, but he didn't know until the ring lead him to see a beautiful couple. A woman with golden hair with a flower crown was watering some pink roses, her cheeks with a healthy blush and wearing a Grecian style white robe. Her skin was light but tanned, and he could hear her humming beautifully. She honestly was more beautiful than any woman Jareth had ever seen. Aside from Sarah, of course. Nothing would compare to Sarah in his eyes.

Next to her was a man who was obviously attracted to her her. The man had jet black hair. His feet had golden sandals and he was wearing on a Grecian style armor. Unlike his wife however, he was wearing dark clothing. His piercing grey eyes were a stark contrast to his black hair, almost electric. His skin was pale and deathly, much like a vampire's would. And yet, he exuded so much power and allure that it almost Jareth want to kneel before him and worship him as his king.

He blinked once, then everything went blurry. He groaned, rubbing his head. Looking around, he realized he was back in his body and in the castle. He knew now where Sarah was.

Her soul was with Hades, God of death and riches, Lord of the Underworld.

* * *

 **This is based off a Greek myth, can you guess which one it is? I'll reveal it in chapter 10. I know there's a lot more to the Greek stories of the Underworld than this, and I have taken liberties to make up my own stuff or change stuff around. Please do not comment on how accurate the myth is or not, I know that it isn't. I do want to know what you think of the story and the writing though! Thank you!**


	5. Precautions

Jareth sat on his throne, proud and commanding in front of five beings. They all looked at each other, wondering why in the world what they all had in common to be standing in front of their King. Though Jareth had calmed down quite a bit from his erratic behavior, they all knew how Sarah's loss was killing him and were still concerned that he'd do something rash and stupid.

Hoggle, Sir Didymus, and Ludo all flinched slightly when Jareth started rolling a crystal around in his hands. Marcus and Lady Phoebe were just as nervous but didn't do anything as they were trained well to not react to Jareth's sudden moves. What was he doing?

Jareth didn't look at them, just at his crystal. "I have called you all here because I trust you five more than anyone else. Should you DARE tell anyone the contents of this meeting or that it even happened, I will consider it treason. Understood?"

They gave a gracious bow. "Yes sire." They all responded. Hoggle was the most jittery as he was always scared of Jareth when he was angry, even after they made up and became friends. Jareth was a kind and just king, though he could be cruel. Even so, he considered very few things to be flat out treason. He allowed people to insult him, he had been hurt by assassination attempts, and even then, he would take everything into careful consideration. They all hoped that he wasn't losing his mind or becoming more hard hearted just because Sarah was gone.

Jareth held the crystal out, and it turned into a necklace, a replica of his amulet. Every eye widened in the room as they all knew what this meant.

Jareth stepped forward, never smiling. He stood in front of Lady Phoebe, who curtseyed, looking unsure and surprised. "Your Majesty?" She asked him, unsure.

Jareth placed the amulet over her neck and it glowed. For the first time since he had called them in, he smiled. The Labyrinth had accepted his choice.

He put a comforting hand on her shoulder, looking into her bright brown eyes and looked her over one more time. Her tan skin reflected her hard work in the sun every day and her tied up black hair also showed that in her. She curtseyed again.

Satisfied, he walked back to his throne. Facing his confused subjects, he began to explain. "I will be gone, and I have no idea how long it will take."

He told them of how Sarah's spirit should've been at the Summerlands, but for some reason, it was in the Underworld with Hades. Marcus raised his eyebrows. As a former human, he was fascinated with the tales of the Greek Gods and had no idea they even existed. They all gasped when Jareth told them that he was going to personally go the Underground and bargain for Sarah's soul, not to bring her to the Summerlands, but back to LIFE.

Jareth could tell that Sir Didymus was shaking. He nodded at the fox. "Speak freely, I know you have something on your mind."

The fox bowed. "Your Majesty, Lady Sarah is your bride, but she is our friends as well. We are also your friends. I say this out of concern, not anything else. Do you think that it is wise to get her back? Often, the dead are not happy when brought back to life."

Jareth leaned back in his throne lazily, making his subjects relax a little. "Yes, I am aware. I had thought of that as well. But," And he recounted the Labyrinth's vision to him. "If there is a chance to bring her back as she was before, then I will fight for it. If she comes back and is not happy, then I will send her to the Summerlands, where her soul belongs so when I die one day, I will reunite with her there." He closed his eyes, breathing deeply so he didn't start to cry again. Oh, how he missed her presence. Nothing could calm him down more than his love.

Lady Phoebe inclined her head and addressed him. "My Lord, but, why me?"

By placing the amulet on her and having it glow, he had marked her as his heir.

He looked at her fondly. He remembered when he first employed Phoebe, just a shy young girl who wanted to be a knight. He allowed her to work her way up. Time and time again, she had shown him loyalty and he knew she would do well as a queen should that come to pass.

"Because," he told her, "You are a knight, one that has been loyal. There are others that are loyal of course. The problem is, most of them would jump at the chance to be king or queen. You do not want this position but would do it and not be miserable. You understand that scope of the responsibility that it takes to be queen. You are not prejudiced like many are and I know my subjects will be safe in your hands. I still hope that I can come back. You are a talented leader, Lady Phoebe. You have strength and power to command. You are also pure fae. The ones who are also worthy, like Lord Marcus," He nodded at Marcus who bowed in pride, "Are part fae or used to be human or whatever. Queen Sarah was assassinated because she was formerly human. I wish I could choose someone to be a replacement without considering their race, but I must. Your family is well known and respected.

"However, for your safety, I cannot let you be queen now. I would prefer to not put you in this kind of danger and I know you don't desire it. I will ask for Lord Richard to be regent, for he is a good regent, a good temporary replacement. Hide that amulet, don't let anyone see it. If you notice, there's a yellow stone in the middle. When that turns red, that signals a new era of ruling and you are to be queen because that will mean that I am gone. I hate to put such responsibility on you, but I trust you." He held out his scepter, and gave her a knowing look. Phoebe, still unsure, held out her hand. She closed her eyes and focused. His scepter flew right in her hand, signaling that she was also the rightful queen should she choose to.

Jareth smiled sadly. "Once Sarah and I are back, if we are, then you will no longer have this power and the amulet will dissolve." He could see that she hoped that he would come back, not only did she not want the responsibility, she respected him and Sarah too much to not WANT them back.

He turned to Marcus. "You are here, because you are Sarah's friend and a knight as well as a historian in training. You will testify to the court of this story should I be gone. I trust you and Phoebe to work together. I expect you to be loyal to her, but not just to her, to the people of this land as you always have been." He put a hand on Marcus's shoulder. Marcus looked at Jareth with such respect and admiration. "Yes Sire. Anything you ask of me, it will be done."

Jareth turned to Sarah's three friends. "You are also to back Phoebe. But the thing I am here to tell you, is that I'm sure you know that at one point, I had considered making Toby my heir. I cannot do that now, knowing that someone will think of assassinating him, even if he decides he would be alright with being King one day. His family have been through enough pain. I ask that you watch over him throughout his life and aid him in immigrating down to the Underground if he wants. I also am telling you this because you deserve to know where I'm going. Do not tell her parents or ANYONE of this. If you do, they'll come after her. I cannot have that, understood?"

They all nodded, but Hoggle stepped forward. Jareth raised an eyebrow, a little surprised. Hoggle gave a clumsy bow, and nervously began to speak. "Yer Majesty, we all love Sarah. I may be a coward, but I will go with you to help her. Anything for her. Not just as a friend, but as her subject."

Ludo and Sir Didymus also stepped forward. "Yes, Your Majesty" the fox said. "I am your humble servant and I will go for you and for her. You shouldn't be alone in this treacherous journey."

Ludo wailed a little, crying out for Sarah.

Jareth was touched. It made him so happy to hear this, but he had to say no. "No. I may not survive the ordeal and I want you all alive. Please. For Sarah's sake. Stay alive."

All of them bowed their heads. Jareth dismissed them, satisfied that if he were to be gone forever, his kingdom would still be in good hands.

* * *

He began to pack. He took food and any magical relics and objects that would mean a lot to Sarah with him. He packed lightly. Looking around one more time, knowing that he may die in the process. He picked up a framed photo of him and Sarah at the Aboveground wedding. He smiled, seeing how radiant she looked. So happy, so bright. At least they got to travel the world together once. He decided to write a letter addressed to her family, in case he actually died. He had considered erasing their memories of him and fabricate some story of how Sarah had died through a car crash as they had told everyone Above, but decided against it as he knew they would rather know the truth. So he stuck to that. He hoped they could forgive him for not telling them in person.

He picked up another photo of him, her parents, Sarah, and Toby all laughing at Toby's 10th birthday party. Oh, how good and kind her parents had been with him. He traced Sarah's beautiful smile, knowing that he would see it again.

He would die trying to get her to be back with him.

* * *

 **This is to show that Jareth is an adult, as crazy as he can be. He's a king, and I think it's important to reflect that even if he is grieving and hot tempered, he does think things through and is very calculating.**


	6. Love Without Deception

It was an interesting day to leave, as it was Halloween. Lucky for him, he could be dressed as his normal self without anyone giving him weird looks. He thought carefully about what he should wear. He wanted to look formidable to any Underworld creatures, but at the same time, able to look sweet and approachable to Sarah.

He settled on an old favorite that would trigger fond memories of him. He donned on black boots, not high heels sadly, for comfort and practicality. He snapped his fingers and grey tights were on his legs. He wore a white flowing shirt to make it comfortable. He grabbed his black cape and shortened it so he wouldn't trip. The cape would help him look scary but everything else was what Sarah usually saw him in.

He looked around, in every room of the castle. Before he left, he made sure to visit the Williams family once more. He informed them that he would be taking a vacation, something Robert had suggested him to do. They all were happy for him. Toby asked to come, and he had said no. That day, he hugged his brother-in-law a lot longer than usual, making Toby a little annoyed and embarrassed. Jareth didn't care, knowing that it may be the last time he would see his family.

And with that, the King of Goblins swung his traveling bag over his shoulder and went to find his bride.

* * *

Just as in his dream, he crossed the bar. The locals in the bar wouldn't let him in unless he bought something. He got some random cocktail and avoided the beautiful men and women that no doubt wanted him to be their lover for a night. If he hadn't been so repulsed with love as a child and didn't have Sarah, he might've. But, he wanted no one else for as long as he would live, however long that would be. He loved her so much.

Taking a shot of tequila, he walked to the back of the bar and out the door. "This is it." He told himself. He removed the covering, and descending in the Underworld.

* * *

He landed on his feet, crouching down and cape billowing around him majestically. He rose up quietly, holding out a crystal to illuminate the scene. Honestly, he didn't actually need one, but it helped him to feel a little better about the gloominess around him.

Just as in his vision, he was on a dirt road surrounded by skulls and other bones. He walked, staying aware of all the surroundings. This was unlike anything he had ever encountered before. This was new territory, and one not known well to either humans or faes. His ears pricked at every little sound, every step he took.

To comfort himself even more, he began to sing to himself.

 _There's such a sad love_

 _Deep in your eyes_

 _A kind of pale jewel_

 _Open and closed_

 _Within your eyes_

 _I'll place the sky_

 _Within your eyes_

He had written this as a song dedicated to Sarah when she was still a child. He knew he was fated to love her, and though he wasn't romantically in love with her, he loved her in the purest way, the way that made him want to take care of her and make her smile in any way possible.

 _There's such a fooled heart_

 _Beatin' so fast_

 _In search of new dreams_

 _A love that will last_

 _Within your heart_

 _I'll place the moon_

 _Within your heart_

He knew that he would fall for her, but he didn't know when. Right when Sarah wished Toby away, he was forced to play the bad guy, but at the same time, he was angry. Angry that she had to meet him as her adversary. He preferred to meet her when she was grown, or at least not have met her at all. It was easier to just not fall in love.

 _As the pain sweeps through,_

 _Makes no sense for you_

 _Every thrill is gone_

 _Wasn't too much fun at all,_

 _But I'll be there for you_

 _As the world falls down_

 _Falling_

 _Falling down_

 _Falling in love_

 _I'll paint you mornings of gold_

 _I'll spin you Valentine evenings_

 _Though we're strangers 'til now,_

 _We're choosing the path_

 _Between the stars_

 _I'll leave my love_

 _Between the stars_

He was getting closer to where Charon was, the little man in the boat that would take him across the River Styx, a river full of lost souls. He started to feel hopeless from all the spirits crying out, so he sang a little louder.

 _As the pain sweeps through,_

 _Makes no sense for you_

 _Every thrill is gone_

 _Wasn't too much fun at all,_

 _But I'll be there for you_

 _As the world falls down_

He concentrated on Sarah, her beautiful smile, her soft hair, her kind eyes, anything to distract him from what was ahead. He let her image fill his very soul. He felt stronger, feeling that he would get back with her.

He thought of the future. She was his future, and he would make sure of that. He wanted children with her, oh, so many children! But only a few at a time, to give them the attention they deserved. He pictured himself chasing away any boys and girls that treated his children terribly and Sarah yelling at him for threatening to send them to the Bog. He pictured her pregnant, beautiful and carrying HIS children in her belly, a life giver, radiant and happy. He imagined her being called the greatest queen the Goblin Kingdom ever had and every subject loving her and everyone knowing the power she held.

 _Makes no sense at all_

 _Makes no sense to fall_

 _Falling_

 _As the world falls down_

 _Falling_

 _Falling_

 _Falling in love_

 _As the world falls down_

 _Falling_

 _Falling_

 _Falling in love_

He finally made it to Charon. The little man held a hand out and Jareth placed a coin in his hand. He looked up at the King, and made a strange face just visible underneath his hood.

"You, you are not dead Goblin King. Yes, I can recognize anyone, even you. Furthermore, you are fae and not human. Even so, I will take you to the Underworld regardless, as you have paid."

Jareth bowed his head. "I have business here with Lord Hades, god of the dead."

Charon raised his eyebrows. Jareth could see that he looked quite tired and yet, curious of the King. "I don't think I need to tell you to be careful with with the Lord of the Underworld. You are strong, Your Majesty, but this is no longer your territory." He helped Jareth in the boat and started to steer.

Jareth shrugged. "I've been in worse places. Now tell me, do you recall my wife, Queen Sarah, coming through here?"

Charon made a face and shook his head. "If she is dead, she should've came through here. You are right to assume that I should've been the one to escort her. However, that's not the case. I hadn't seen her."

Jareth pursed his lips, not speaking anymore. He didn't want to give any information away. There was no telling which information was important to keep secret and which wasn't.

So he waited.

The boat ride was unbelievably long. He wished he had headphones or something to pass the time. But instead, he just looked out, feeling sorry for every lost soul.

Jareth was not a superstitious person, nor believed that death rites would help anyone with anything. But, he was a man of tradition. He sat there, closing his eyes, and said a sort of prayer, a chant, whatever you want to call it to the people in the River Styx.

It was in an ancient fae language, but it was a prayer of peace for the dead. It was the least he could do for them.

Bowing his head and closing his eyes, Jareth crossed his left arm on his chest, grabbing his right shoulder, his other arm raised up to the square and began his prayer.

 _"To the ones who have crossed the veil,_

 _May your happiness and not sadness prevail._

 _Your love, your peace, your joy,_

 _Please have those and not just being coy._

 _Smile, the pain has now gone_

 _For now you have walked into the beyond._

 _May you rest as you have have not done before,_

 _Peace be with you forever more."_

He slid his arms to his sides, feeling a little better. The spirits all around him seemed to have heard his prayer and goodwill, and the burden felt lighter upon his shoulders.

Charon looked at the King fondly. "Not one has crossed here and have tried to do a thing for the Lost Souls. Some feel pity, many disgust, but never a prayer to try to ease their pain. You are one of a kind, Goblin King."

Jareth smiled modestly, and a little sadly. "It was my wife, Queen Sarah, who has taught me unconditional love. I had been kind before, but I was never particularly thoughtful of others until she came into my life. She was brave, loving, and looked out for everyone. Sometimes a little too much. No doubt she would do the same as I have if she was here, maybe more." He thought fondly of the time when she had a hard time eating or taking care of herself when they were restoring the kingdom. Oh, what an inspiration she was.

Thinking of her made him even more anxious to have her back, to take her place at his side.

Charon hummed, bringing Jareth out of his train of thought. "Well, she seems quite exceptional. I am sorry for her loss, as it is clear as day that you have been hurt deeply by it."

They arrived at the gate. In contrast to the eerie lime green lighting when he crossed his path there, this was blood red, full of angry energy. Jareth thanked the man, and off he went.

* * *

He thought that he'd have to go pass Ceberus first, but got distracted. He heard singing, the purest voice he had heard. It was so beautiful, it made him feel like summer appeared in his heart even with the sadness of being in the Land of the Dead.

He looked for the sounds, and he came across the Goddess of Spring, Persephone, a breathtaking image. No wonder humans praised her beauty. He saw up close how lovely she really was. She was almost as beautiful as Sarah. He wanted to speak up, but felt guilty about watching in on what seemed to be a private moment of her with her flowers, and yet he was so starved to see such pure contentment that he just couldn't speak. Had she been Underground, he would have assumed she was an enchantress.

She didn't even turn around to face him when she spoke. "Goblin King. I know that you are behind me. It is rather rude to not greet your hostess and lurk instead."

He gulped, a little embarrassed. He walked up to her and gave a bow. "My lady, I am deeply sorry. I didn't want to disturb you. I mean no harm."

He looked up from the polite bow, and looked up to see her turned around to face him, an amused expression on her face. She walked towards him and held her hand out. He kissed it, honoring her as queen of the land.

"Well, as you say, no harm done. I am just not used to any new live beings here aside from a few of us. Tell me, why have you ventured here in the land of the dead? Very few want to travel here so you must have some special reason." She tossed her golden hair to one side of her neck and motioned for him to rise up.

He gave one more bow before rising. "I am here for Sarah, Queen of Goblins. She is my bride, taken from me on our wedding day. I am here to bargain for her, to bring her back with me to life or at least her soul to the Summerlands."

Persephone tapped a finger on her cheek thoughtfully. "You want to bring her back to life? Well, you are quite brave to come here. And alone, for that matter. Many have gone insane from being here, surrounded by the dead to the point where they wanted to join them. Tell me, what is it about this Sarah that makes her so special?"

Persephone waved a hand and a couch appeared. "Come sit." She gestured to Jareth.

He raised an eyebrow at the fact that she chose a love seat, forcing them to sit quite close. Nevertheless, he didn't speak up as he didn't want to offend her. If she could get on his side, maybe he could get Hades to comply and get his wife back.

He sat cross legged, leaving an ample amount of space between them. Persephone waved another hand, and a champagne bottle appeared. "Some Champagne? I'm sure the journey here was exhausting."

Jareth waved his hand. "No thank you." How stupid did she think he was? To drink food from the Underworld would force him to stay there forever. He folded his hands on his lap, his skin prickling with nervousness. But he couldn't pin point why. Everything just felt so _off._

"Suit yourself." She told him, having a drink for herself. After taking a few sips, she turned to him again. "So tell me, why is Sarah so important?"

He leaned back a bit, closing his eyes and picturing her face. "Oh, you have no idea." He whispered. "I don't even know where to start. She was beyond anything I had ever known. When many have tried and failed to win my heart for love and my body in bed, she has won every part of me. Her sweetness, her kindness, her vulnerability all made me willingly want to give everything up for her. She never wanted anything from me but my love. She believed in hope, and even when people in her life taught her that they can be cruel, she still believed the best in everyone. Even me. She fought for me, for my life in the Battle of the Crowns when my former betrothed forced me to marry. Sarah wasn't a delicate flower though. She was a fighter, a leader, a true queen. She fought even ME to get back her baby brother when she made a mistake of wishing him away. She was kind to everyone and learned to admit her mistakes. She loved me, but she didn't excuse my behaviors and helped me to be a better person. She has done so much good as queen and as just plain Sarah. She was born human and turned fae, but it doesn't matter what species she was. She was always wonderful. Her life was too short and she deserves another chance. Furthermore, even she did deserve to die, as a changling, she is fae and needs to be sent to the Summerlands where she belongs so her spirit may be free."

He wanted to desperately ask Persephone _why_ Sarah was here, and not in the Summerlands, but he knew better than to just ask her or it could provoke her as it would sound accusatory. It could cause issues that he'd rather not have.

The Queen sighed. "That was beautiful. Most who talk of their loved ones don't mention their mistakes and paint them as picture perfect. You, on the other hand, loved her wholeheartedly for who she is. Unfortunately, I cannot help you in the matter. That is something you should take up with my husband."

Jareth tried to not throw something at her or to shake her in anger. What was the point of telling her all of this personal stuff if she was just going to refer him to Hades?

"My Lady, is there a way you could possibly help me appeal to your husband on my behalf?" He asked politely, even though he wanted to throw her in the Bog of Eternal Stench.

She scoffed. "Oh Hades? He doesn't listen to me anymore. What's the point?" She drank some more champagne. "I was his conquest. We had passion, but that wasn't love. Oh, what I would give for a man to love me as you love your wife!" She sniffed, a tear falling down her face.

Jareth looked at her sadly, feeling a bit sorry for her. He knew what it was like to be lonely and single, but a loveless marriage is no doubt much worse as you felt lonely when you weren't supposed to.

He sighed. "I'm deeply sorry to hear that. I know that it must be difficult and I wish I could offer you words of comfort."

Persephone cried even more, making him very uncomfortable. He wasn't sure what to do, so he did the only thing he knew what to do. He patted his hand on her back. "I'm so sorry." He told her over and over.

Somehow, she began to weep on his shoulder, forcing Jareth to hold her in his arms and comfort her. It reminded him of the days when Sarah would cry and he would dry her tears. Except this was weirder, with someone he didn't even know.

He was picturing how he would then kiss Sarah to wipe her tears away. He would trace his thumb across her cheek, moving the tears. Then, he would run his thumb across her lips. If she let him, he would move in and kiss her, capturing her mouth in his. He'd put his arms around her waist and hold her tight, their eyes closed as their tongues moved in a way that was sensual and sweet for comfort. A small sound that resembled a giggle would escape her throat and he'd smile in his kiss, knowing that he made her happy. She would tangle her fingers in his messy hair and he'd thread his fingers in her beautiful, curly blonde-

Wait. Curly? Blonde? Sarah had straight, dark hair.

Wait. What?

He opened his eyes and saw in horror that the woman he was kissing was not his Sarah, but the Queen of the Underworld. He shoved her away in disgust, spitting and wiping his lips to further show how he really felt about that. "WHAT THE HELL?" He demanded her.

Persephone still looked at him with those large, doe eyes. He noticed that a strap on her dress had moved down, the tops of her cleavage beginning to be exposed and her lips swollen from the kiss. He didn't want to know what Aphrodite looked like if Persephone looked like a sex goddess right here, trying to tempt him.

"Stay," She pleaded. "You cannot bring her back. My husband is ruthless. Come. Stay with me. We could be happy, make love. I could make you forget your Sarah as you make love with me." She placed her hands on his chest, but he pushed her away.

"Never." He hissed. "Just now, you didn't make me forget Sarah, in fact, I was DREAMING of her as we kissed. You made me think she was here, and you are disgusting for deceiving me. I'm sorry your marriage is a broken mosaic of hearts, but you cannot find love by deception. Not after the true and real love I had with Sarah. I cannot and will not accept anything less, even from a goddess. If you want some passion, go and find someone else. I am not that person for you."

He slung his bag over his shoulder, and without a glance, he walked towards the throne room.

"Turn left." Persephone said suddenly.

"What?" Jareth didn't understand what she was going for. What was she telling him to do?

She sighed. "Turn left into the wall. That's a shortcut to the throne room." Her voice was clipped and broken. It was enough to make him turn around.

He didn't soften his glance even though he did feel for her. "Why are you helping me?"

Persephone looked up at him in pain, readjusting her dress so she was once again dressed appropriately. "If I cannot have happiness in love, then I hope you can. I hope you will find what you are looking for, Goblin King. But beware. If your Sarah is as good of a person as you say she is, then she is most likely in Elysium, or paradise. It is a place meant for the dead to not feel pain and to feel peace. She will most likely not want to leave, for it is programmed to make her feel that way. Do not be surprised if she rejects you for it. Though, I do wish you well. I have never seen anyone as devoted to their spouse as you and it would be a shame for such lovers to be separated."

Jareth took a deep breath, looking forward, then back at her. "I will take my chances. Thank you." He turned to the left and went through the walls.

Persephone looked at where he had stood, still feeling rejected. "You're welcome."

* * *

 **Damn it Persephone we get it your life sucks but don't be touching my man! I mean Sarah's man! I love making Jareth devoted to Sarah and mad that someone would trick him. Poor baby. :( But hey, he caught it and is now closer to finding Sarah!**


	7. King Versus King

The throne room was magnificent indeed. All around, tapestries and glass windows had arts of the Greek Gods and their magnificence. All had brilliant colors and amazing art at each of them. Jareth knew it would take months to make them. Leading up to the throne was a carpet black as night. Underneath the throne, there were black rams that seemed to hold it up, eyes glowing red. The throne itself was a rich black color with gold trim.

But as impressive as the throne room was, nothing was as impressive as the man sitting on it.

Lord Hades had a black crown adorned on his head, gilded and regal. He was wearing the same clothing as in Jareth's vision, black with the same gold trim as his throne. His eyes were electric grey, piercing and stern. His mouth was in a tight line, and yet, somehow he looked almost amused.

Jareth gave a gracious bow, being conscious as to let his cape billow behind him for dramatic effect as he often loved to do. He kept his face straight and took Hades's outstretched hand to kiss it, honoring him as the king of this land just as he had kissed Persephone's hand.

He knelt down and waited to be spoken to.

Hades stroked his chin. "Goblin King. I know what you are here for? What makes you think I will give you back your wife? She is dead, and belongs with the dead. Do you not want her to be happy in Elysium?"

Jareth rose up. He tried to keep his face just as stern, but a hint of sadness speckled in his blue and brown eyes. "My Lord, before I answer your question, I implore you to answer mine first."

Hades raised an eyebrow. "You dare bargain with _me_ , while you are at _my_ mercy?"

He still looked at Jareth with great unbelief, almost confusion as to how someone could just walk in and demand him things. He was the god of DEATH. Messing with someone like that isn't what most people would do.

Jareth looked at him defiantly. "When you have lost the thing that has made your life happy, you'd stop caring and do whatever it takes too. Now tell me, why is her soul here in the Underworld and not in the Summerlands?"

Hades's eyebrows raised up even higher than Jareth's. "You have gumption, that I give you." He stood up, and walked down, also letting his cape billow behind him, annoying Jareth. Billowing capes was the _Goblin King's_ thing and he knew Hades was doing this to annoy him on purpose.

He stood directly in front of Jareth. It annoyed him how the fae king was in fact taller than he. No matter. He was a god, and could still strike him down. He had heard of Jareth, a man of temper but not unintelligent.

The God of Death waved, and a ping pong table appeared. Now it was Jareth's turn to raise an eyebrow.

Hades threw a paddle at the fae king, who caught it with ease. The god stood at one end. "Let's have a little game, shall we?"

A black ping pong ball appeared in Hades's hand, and he made the first serve. Jareth hit it back without hesitation, still thinking about why Hades had resorted to playing this game, getting angrier by the moment.

Hades kept his face calm and serene, annoying the hell out of Jareth. After a few games played in silence, Jareth couldn't take it anymore. "Are you going to answer my question or not?" He growled through clenched teeth.

Hades chuckled, making Jareth pissed off. He tried to keep his temper under control, avoiding flipping the table over and smashing Hades with his paddle. He knew that somehow, Hades knew that this was a game that Sarah and he loved to play. It wasn't a coincidence.

Hades just kept on laughing at Jareth fuming. "Oh you. Why don't you just tell me why I should give her to you? She is DEAD. She's not yours to command, to decide her fate."

Jareth hit the ball so hard that it made a dent in the table. "She is my WIFE, not my PROPERTY. I love her! Her life was too short to be taken, and she doesn't belong here, she should go to the Summerlands! Stop hiding from me, Hades. Tell me now why you have brought her here!"

Using his magic, Jareth transformed the paddle into a sword and smacked the ball out of the way. He grabbed his sword that he brought with him from his bag and lunged out at Hades, jumping into the air above the ping pong table.

Hades, of course, saw this coming. He also jumped up, meeting Jareth mid air with his own swords. Both were blocked, and Jareth chose that moment to speak. "You vile thing! WHY HAVE YOU TAKEN MY WIFE DOWN TO THIS PLACE!?" He pushed Hades and the god spun around with grace and landed on the ping pong table, Jareth taking one spin only to be blocked by the god again. Yelling in pure rage, Jareth once again brought down his sword to strike the man that took his wife.

"You lost her once she died!" Hades bellowed out. "She is MINE! I have right to claim her as mine as I SEE FIT!"

Now that did it. Every muscle in Jareth's body tensed up. He ripped the cape off his shoulders and stood still, not moving, breathing deeply. His hair was more wild than it had ever been, yes, even more than when he was grieving for Sarah and went wild. His eyes were large and full of conviction and his teeth were grinding so hard it was a wonder they didn't pop out of his skull.

Now, he had something to fight for. Or rather, someone. And he wasn't going to let anyone, even a god, to get away with it!

He roared again and did a new move. Instead of using his sword to do anything, he used his foot to knock Hades over. Once on his back, Jareth stepped on his chest and pointed his sword at his face, victorious. Amazing how such a simple move would be what made him win this fight.

Hades chuckled once more. "You think you can hurt me? I am a GOD! The only weapon material that could hurt me is-"

Just then, Jareth tipped the sword just so it would graze upon the god's cheek, drawing blood. Hades looked at the sword in horror.

"-celestial bronze, yes?" Jareth said smugly. His infuriating smirk clearly was showing in his face, and he didn't give a goblin's mustache about Hades's feelings. Angry and hot tempered he may be, but Jareth was a man who was prepared. Speaking of being prepared, he would kill Hades here and now if he needed to.

He leaned in close enough to where their noses were almost touching. "Oh Hades. Don't you realize? I'm a family man. I also am a king. Sarah is both my family and I am her king, doubling your mistake. You have messed with me enough. Answer now. Why have you taken her? Is this what you did to Persephone?"

Hades closed his lips tight, just glaring at Jareth. The Goblin King pressed his feet even more on his chest, tightening the amount of air in him. Though Hades wouldn't die, he could be tortured like this if he wasn't careful enough. He started to choke, and Jareth wouldn't relent. "I can do this all day! ANSWER ME!"

Hades nodded and Jareth loosened a little, but the sword was still poised at his neck. Hades coughed once, and began to speak. "I want someone new, someone who can challenge me and be my equal. Persephone is beautiful, and boy, am I glad to have her, but she is nothing but a whore. She skips around with her flowers. Sarah, on the other hand, is feisty. I saw that her life was being cut, so I took her here. I was going to take her whenever she died but she died earlier than I had expected. I will let her stay in Elysium for a while, maybe a few centuries or so, until she was bored. Then, I would bring her here. No doubt by then, she would've been over you. I am a god, after all. I can give her riches, I can allow her to see her family and give her a life of pleasantry that you could never have given her as a queen of a bunch of goblins and a kingdom of misfits! She belongs with ME!"

Jareth was honestly perplexed. Did this god really know and respected women so little? No wonder Persephone was depressed all the time.

"What of your wife? She just wants a chance to fall in love with you and for you to love her back." He said quietly.

Hades scoffed. "Love? How can I love her? She is nothing, just Zeus's daughter. A prize to win in retaliation to him for banishing me down here. I give her everything she ever needs. Don't worry, she will still be fine as my mistress when Sarah agrees to be my queen. Maybe I'll even turn her and Sarah to have a threesome with me, just me and my gorgeous whores. I'll even do it in front of you, seeing as you're so fond of Persephone that you didn't even notice it wasn't your wife when she kissed you! Imagine that, you watching me make love to both of them" His eyes were full of lust and possessiveness as he thought such deplorable things.

Jareth dug the sword into Hades's neck, not killing or even really hurting him but to remind him who he was dealing with. "I will NOT tolerate you reducing my wife to some sex object, or any woman for that matter! This is where you are wrong. Sarah is someone to be respected, to be treated as the person that she is. She is strong, and has much work to do. You don't see her as your equal, you see her as an object to amuse you!"

He dug the sword even deeper, blood leaking out at a faster rate now. Hades gasped a little, more worried for his life than he had ever been. How was this fae able to do so much?

Jareth leaned forward and snarled again. "Here is what you will do. You will tell me where Sarah is and how to find her and bring her back as we were before she died, none of that stuff about her wanting to be dead again once she's back. If you don't, I will strike you where you stand. I don't care about the consequences. You already kidnapped one woman that I know of and I'll be damned if I let you take another."

Hades still didn't respond, trying to remain defiant. Jareth pushed the sword in once more, this time, making the god cry out. "What will it be, O great Lord of Death and Riches? Will you die by the hand of a fae? Or will you be reasonable and let me take my wife and go?"

This time, Hades didn't hesitate to answer. "Alright! Let me up and I will tell you what to do!"

Jareth relented a little, but still kept the king under his grasp. "Answer first and I'll let go. I don't trust people anymore, don't you know that?" He seethed.

Hades breathed a few times before answering. "You will go into Elysium. There, you will find your bride. Sarah is happy right now, don't you doubt that. It will take much to convince her to leave. Elysium was meant for someone to have peace from the troubles they had in life. She may even resent you for trying to take her out. You cannot force her to, only she can make herself leave. If she does love you that much, then she will rather go through the worst of life with you than comfort in paradise. Remember that."

"I'll do whatever it takes!" Jareth hissed, angry that everyone wanted him to fail. "Anything else I ought to know?"

"Oh, and that was the easy part!" Hades laughed heartily. "You must come out of Elysium and not look back. You must have faith that she has chosen to follow. She could choose to go back at any point up until you are out of the Underworld back in that bar. You won't be able to see her, hear her, know that she is there. If she is anyways. If you DARE look back, she will immediately be sent back to the Underworld and be with me forever. Say goodbye to the Summerlands or the afterlife with her, for I can choose to accept or reject faes. You will end up in the Summerlands while she is with me forever, and will be my queen one day." He grinned, feeling that Jareth would lose.

This was a lot for Jareth to take. To have such faith would drive him crazy. It would take all he could to not look behind him, and his instincts of survival made that even more difficult. He was a king who always had to watch his back.

However, he and Sarah had done worse. She had forgotten about him and literally went and set up a resistance within a few hours and fought a fae queen while she herself was still human. She had restored his kingdom and thawed his cold heart, winning him just as he won her over.

He leaned back, letting Hades have some room, and finally, he withdrew his sword from the god's neck. "You underestimate me, Hades. I will succeed. I will win her because of the love we have for each other. And as for you, the more you keep having this illusion that you're the greatest thing that has ever lived, the less satisfied you will be. So I suggest that you not try to kill me or do any of these stunts ever again. You WILL pay for it."

* * *

 **BADASS JARETH IS MY FAVORITE JARETH. DO NOT MESS WITH THE GOBLIN KING UNLESS YOU ARE SARAH. This scene was also kinda hard to write as I suck at fighting scenes. They're important but I suck at them man. I try my best though!**


	8. Come Back

"He thinks he can give her what I can't give her. Bah!" Jareth grumbled as he trekked through a forest to Elysium. "I am the one who offered her her dreams! That ridiculous, stupid, arrogant son of a bitch!"

He grumbled a bit, then reached the doorway. "I will win Sarah back, because she loves me! I will do it without trickeries!" He thought about how ironic it was, he, the master of illusions, refused to use illusions to win her back.

When Sarah had rejected him the first time, he had some time to think about what he did wrong. She had wanted something real, she was being responsible and took care of her baby brother. He hadn't thought about that during her run. He just wanted her to stay with him. Well that, and the fact that the Labyrinth itself forced him to be this mean and commanding king.

He had found her home once more, in owl form, watching her celebrate with his subjects. Oh, how he wished that he could be celebrating with her. But in fact, she was celebrating her victory over him. Nothing hurts more than that.

It was unfortunate that he couldn't find her for another three years after that, then young Toby found him as an owl and Sarah was convinced to bring him home and care for him. How he missed her and her kindness. She was so beautiful, so amazing.

Jareth had opened the door and instantly, he knew what he was seeing in front of him was no deception or a dream. It was really her. His Sarah. The light of his life.

His wife.

She was wearing a dress he had never seen before. It was a forest green, bringing out her eyes. It was perfect for springtime, made of chiffon and looked beautiful when she was humming and skipping around gracefully. At the moment, she was smiling and picking flowers, making some sort of flower crown. What is it with women in the Underworld and flowers?

He just stared a little, watching her put a bunch of daisies and making a little crown out of them. Hades was right, she looked so peaceful, so content. He almost didn't want to disturb her. Wasn't it happiness he had always sought for her? Even in life, he promised that if she didn't want to be with him, if it would make her happier to not have him in her life, he would leave without hesitation. He would make himself miserable just to make her happy. That was what she meant to him. Never before and never will anyone else capture his heart so whole heartedly. No one.

She was barefoot, he saw. He smiled a little, seeing her freedom and how she seemed so carefree, so safe. He was about to turn around, to leave her be. To let her stay in this place to rest. How could he let her back into life, where she would be miserable and working hard for who knows how long? How could he let her be tortured and hurt again?

But then, he saw something around her ankle. Squinting, he saw that it was an anklet the shape of a snake. It curved around her, and with anger, he saw the two bite marks on her let where she had been bitten.

He remembered again why he came here. She did not belong here. She belongs with him in life or at least the Summerlands! Hades had NO right to bring her here!

He breathed a little, trying to calm down. It would not do him good to approach her with anger in his heart. He needed to bring her back, to make her feel happy. He needed to not be Prince Charming, but a king. A king who loved her with all his heart.

He took off his cape and stuffed it in his bag, trying to appear sweet and approachable. He fixed his eyes on her and called out for her. "Sarah?"

The Goblin Queen scrunched her eyes a little, then looked around, as if she wasn't used to anyone calling her name. She looked to his direction, and her eyes went wide with recognition.

She didn't even say a word, she just ran towards him and hugged him. Jareth couldn't believe that after a month of her death, she was finally there with him. Oh, how he missed her so much. She felt alive, she felt real, tears dripping onto his shoulders.

"Precious." He whispered. He closed his eyes, breathing in her scent through his sensitive nose. He ran his fingers through her hair, wanting to feel again that she really was in his arms.

Sarah pulled back, cradling his face in her hands, but made no move to kiss him. "Jareth." She breathed his name reverently, as if she was scared that he would disappear the moment she said his name. "Oh, how I missed you! How much time has passed? Oh my god, what happened? How did you-"

"Shh." He put a finger to her lips. She instinctively leaned into him, missing his touch. He caressed her hair some more. "No Sarah, I am not dead. I am here for you. You don't belong here and you need to come back with me. Hades is keeping you here in hopes of making you his queen. Please."

She looked confused. "Back? Back where? Jareth, why?" She gestured around the beautiful field of flowers. "I am happy here. Don't take me away. And Hades is delusional! I can never love anyone but you. He cannot force me to leave Elysium to be his queen, and I will stay here forever."

Jareth took her hands in his. His eyes pleaded her to understand. "Sarah, you are a queen! Your work in the kingdom isn't done. Think of all our subjects, think of how Toby and your parents miss you. Don't you want to go back?" His heart was tearing in half. She had rejected him three times before, he didn't want to be rejected again.

She pulled her hands away from him, looking distressed. "Jareth, that's the thing. All my life, it was do this, do that, stay alive for this, sacrifice for that. I know, it was my fault because I felt guilty about everything. I didn't feel free. Even my college years, my relationships, I felt that I had to sacrifice all the damn time. Even with you, although I never felt guilt or sadness about sacrificing for you. Look around." She swept her hand across the field.

"I am here. I am free of pain, of life. I am happy where I am. I don't have to worry about anyone else. Elysium has sort of, reprogrammed me to not care. To be happy. Until you came, and reminded me of how sad I could be." She looked sad, almost glaring at him.

Jareth couldn't believe what he was hearing, and he wasn't sure what to feel. He knew that she would feel guilty easily, but had no idea that she felt trapped by her self-sacrificing nature. That was the thing with Sarah, she felt happy about helping others but would often bury her sadness inside, not understanding why it brought her so much happiness yet pain to hurt herself when caring for others.

He supposed it was partly his fault. His labyrinth and her time in it as a child had taught her to be selfless and loving. It taught her to grow up. It made him sad, actually. This was something she was still working on before she died.

Maybe she just needed a reminder.

"Life isn't just pain." He said quietly. "It is happiness too. You were the one that taught me that."

Sarah rolled her eyes. "Life is pain, _your majesty_. Anyone who says otherwise is selling you something." She turned around, and kept on piecing together her flower crown. "Look, Jareth. I had happiness, yes. But now that I am feeling bliss, how do I go back? The only person who made me feel free was you. And you're a king. I would be a queen, with responsibilities."

Jareth knew that part of her didn't actually mind being queen, in fact she loved it. A lot of it was Elysium trying to keep her there, for the dead was not supposed to be coming back to life. It was a smart system actually, but it wasn't helping him.

Sarah looked at him again, her green eyes showing a little more empathy. "Oh, Jareth. You are amazing though, coming for me. Why don't you stay? Your kingdom will be fine. Plus, everyone will just die anyways so why even try? Oh don't look so shocked, I know that you name an heir or something at least. You're not stupid and I'm your wife." She giggled a little and placed the flower crown on his head. "You look pretty. And see? We could stay here forever. Just running around, having fun and being together. Don't you want that?"

Jareth smiled, trying to not get pulled into this blissful spell as she was. "Yes, we could do that. And we will, but in the Summerlands. Here, you are being influenced by something. I would want nothing more than to spend all of eternity with you, just being by your side and seeing your beautiful smile every single minute. You are the light of my life."

Sarah smiled brightly, and grabbed his hand. "So come. Come on here, come run in the fields with me and let's in bliss for eternity." She tugged, but he wouldn't budge.

Jareth gave a single nod, a plan now in his mind. "Yes, I will. But first, might I give you a gift?" He held out a crystal.

Sarah laughed a little. "Always offering you my dreams, aren't you my king?"

Jareth said nothing as the crystal expanded to a screen of some sort. Sarah looked at him, crossing her arms suspiciously, and yet, she turned and looked at the screen anyways.

It showed different scenes from her life. He showed her when she graduated from high school, college, Toby's birth, when he gave her Lancelot, when she set up the Resistance to save him at the Battle of the Crowns, when she was having fun kicking goblins with him. He waved a hand and showed her their first date, how Robert danced with her at her wedding, Karen fixing her dress and gushing over her. He showed her the first time he had tried to teach her how to make a crystal, and so much more.

Sarah watched her life go by, a nostalgic look on her face. She still remained stubborn, however, and gave a tired sigh. "Whatever you're doing, Jareth, it doesn't change the fact that life HURTS. It won't change my mind. I want you here with me but I will be happy even without you because this is how this place works. I can be happy by myself. Isn't that what you always wanted for me?" She shot at him.

Jareth ignored her outburst and showed her one last scene. Sarah's eyes widened at it, a tear escaping her eye without realizing it.

It was when they had first danced in the peach dream. Jareth was sandwiched between two beautiful women, and he walked out of their arms to hold her gently by the waist, spinning and twirling her all while singing to her. He sang her words of care, words of fear that he was falling for her and how he would make her happy.

"Oh." Sarah breathed. Oh indeed. She missed that feeling. The feeling of being scared then calmed down by being in his arms.

Jareth held out another crystal in front of her. Still not speaking, he crushed it in his hand, the shards falling down on the grass, melting like ice on a summer day. Jareth held out his hand to her.

"Sarah, remember when instead of staying in my arms, you broke the spell and crashed the dream? You loved it, me coming at you away from the arms of other women. And yet, you refused to stay because you wanted something real, something valid. You said no to dreams because you wanted something tangible. You wanted to do something with your life, to make it worth it.

"Remember back when I met you again and was weak? You told me that you wanted to find something worth living for. You told me years later, that you lived for making people happier. That's what your life purpose was. But, the source of what made your life WORTH being happy was the people who love you. People like me. Sarah, come back with me. I am here. I said I would be there for you as our world falls down, and I will still do that." His eyes were full of tears, his heart beating fast. Sarah didn't budge, and he was getting desperate to take her with him.

"I ask for so much, yet so little. I am your SLAVE, Sarah. Don't tell me the truth hurts, it hurts like hell to know that life is pain. But life is REAL and vibrant. Life is where we can do so much and learn so much." He cleared his throat and tried one last resort.

"Through dangers untold, and hardships unnumbered," He whispered quietly, seeing Sarah's stone face turn soft and sad. "I have fought my way through the Underworld to take back the wife which had been stolen from me. For my will is as strong as Hades's and my kingdom as great. And Sarah, I have no power over you, but you have every power over ME." He was openly sobbing now. He was breaking down, and he didn't care anymore. He loved her that much, to show her his tears when he would show no one else. "If you tell me to leave and to never come back, I will. I will go and leave you to be in a state of eternal bliss. I cannot force you to come back, I don't even know if I deserve of your love, of your pain. I can only tell you that I want you and if you left me, I will always be happy for the time you've allowed us to be together. I will never love again and I will go back as I was, single and grieving. Or, just say the word, and I will fight anything to bring you back. I will fight with my very life."

Sarah still sad nothing. He only saw he chest heaving up and down from breathing. He was shaking, trying to restrain himself from going even more crazy from leaving her. He refused to stay, to be a part of Hades's pawn, but he wanted to just stop existing at the idea of leaving his wife.

"Sarah?" He asked her quietly. "Love?"

He was ready for her to turn away, to never come back into his arms. He didn't even care if she chose to be with Hades or to stay here. He just cared that she wouldn't have the chance to finish the life that was taken from her. He just cared that he would never see her again, that in his afterlife, he would be alone, just as he had been for years before he met her. She was what made his life happy, and he would only give her up at her request.

But instead of running away, she leaned into his arms and pressed her lips to his.

Jareth didn't even think. He just kissed her back. He kissed her with all the hope and future that was in his life. He wrapped his arms around her waist, feeling her press closer to him. Tears flowed through his shut eyes, making way to his lips as he still kissed her. He missed her, and he didn't give a damn if she said no to his offer. He was going to kiss her one last time and treasure this moment with her.

Sarah pulled back, hands on his neck and his hands on her waist. He could see that she was also crying. "Jareth." She started. "Life is something that is so difficult for me. But, no bliss feels so good as kissing you or has made me feel so, so, ready to be active again. You are the fire in me and no matter the pain, I will be here with you too. Jareth, take me back. Make me alive and I won't leave you until we are both ready to cross over to the Summerlands together!"

Jareth sobbed, kissing his bride once again.

* * *

 **Anyone notice the "life is pain" is from Princess Bride? Hehe! Also, of COURSE Sarah would come back with him! This is one of my favorite chapters, as it talks about life and what makes things worth it. It's things I have struggled in the past with suicide so it's very personal.**


	9. Hope

Though he had taken her hand and held it tightly when they emerged from Elysium, he couldn't pin point the moment when he realized that she was no longer holding his hand.

It was a lot more difficult to not look back than he thought it was. The whole time, he felt alone. He really had to trust that she was behind him the entire time, to not go insane and take a peak lest he risk her soul being trapped forever.

He felt like a madman, but he decided he would speak to her anyways. Ironically, though he almost felt he was speaking to himself, talking to the air around him kept him sane.

He stuck with what he was best at, singing and telling stories.

"You remember the time when Karen asked if purple was a good color theme for he wedding?" He chuckled. "Oh, how I panicked at the thought! Honestly, it doesn't even feel real that I was married for Victoria. I think we were married for less than two hours when you killed her."

He pushed a branch out of his eyes, still talking. "I had thought about Toby being my heir, but I know you'd disapprove because of the prejudiced that rise and what happened to you. Our children would have claim, but I was thinking that maybe not. I mean, I would certainly raise them to be good leaders but to be a king or a queen? I'm scared about that, Sarah. I also want them to be able to choose that life."

He looked ahead as the forest began to turn into a brick road. It was a nice and neat path, very different than the paths he had taken to get there. Shrugging, he just kept on walking, not having a choice. However, he still kept his senses up. "I know we've talked about children. I'm in no rush to have them soon but at the same time, I wouldn't mind having them now. I love kids, and I've always wanted one on my own, even before I met you. Before I met you though, I had wanted to adopt of course. Can you just imagine how stubborn they would be with us as parents? That would give Robert a heart attack for sure!"

He chuckled at the thought of Robert being a grandparent. He knew his father-in-law would love being a grandfather. Since he wouldn't be raising said children, he was free to spoil them as he wished. Karen too, though she would definitely try to meddle in their affairs a lot and Jareth really couldn't be having that. He voiced this out loud to his wife, the road now turning from brick into dirt.

"Karen, as I'm sure you know, will try to meddle in our parenting." He sighed a little. "She means well but my god, that woman is always so eager to think she's the professional at everything to the point where it's just infuriating! I can see how you both didn't get along so well in your younger years before you matured. Still, she is a kind hearted person. Do you remember when I first met her and your father? That was definitely a rough start. I know it doesn't seem like it but I had a lot of self restraint from fighting them when they accused you of "asking for it" from that vermin."

He shuddered at the memory, remembering how mad he was at that time. He heard a soft growl, and he lowered his voice. "I'll have to be quiet now, my love. I hear something. Stay close to me, I'll keep you safe."

He lowered his hand and flicked his wrist, a perfect crystal appearing. Said crystal elongated and extended to reveal a sword. One can never be too cautious, especially if you were the goblin king.

Sneaking around the corner, Jareth saw that ahead of him was Cerberus. He cursed silently, knowing that he had to pass either this or the throne room where Hades was. He wasn't going to risk the throne room, it was too close for comfort as Sarah was with him. He was also worried Hades would force him to turn around and look back, sending her straight back to Elysium.

He had to get Ceberus to sleep somehow. Through all the stories and myths he had heard, music was what made them sleep. He honestly did not want to be singing again, so he held his sword and changed its shape into a small harp. Holding it in his arms, he played his and Sarah's song, As the World Falls Down.

The peaceful melody was comforting even him in this time of trouble. Ceberus was starting to sway, but it wasn't enough. Jareth willed his beating heart to calm down. Closing his eyes, he really let his emotions leak through the music. The hopefulness of the song, the sadness, the fear, the love, the regret, all of his emotions were evident in his playing. Tears filled his eyes, fueling him to picture his Sarah and her beautiful face, looking forward to a long life with her after he got out of this hell hole.

The three-headed beast closed its eyes, falling asleep. Jareth took a step, and continued to play his song, going as fast as he could without making any noise. It wasn't until he closed the doors on them did he finally stop playing and let go of the breath he was holding.

He reached the boat where Charon was. Once again, the hooded man bowed towards the king and held it his hand for payment. Jareth dropped another coin into his hand and he steered them back to where he had came.

"So, Goblin King," Charon started. "Did you succeed in whatever you wanted to do with the Lord of the Underworld?"

Jareth's jaw was set tightly at the mention of Hades. Oh, how he loathed that man. He was disgusting and dare he think this, beneath him in every way. Such a pity someone like him was made into a god.

Jareth gave a curt nod. "Yes. We came to an agreement." He left it at that, not wanting to dwell on the god or his blood pressure would spike again.

Charon hummed thoughtfully. Jareth wished he could see his face, but that ridiculous hood was covering him. It irked him to not see someone else's eyes, which was why he took off his mask and had Sarah go without one their first dance in her peach dream.

"You know," Charon told him. "Lord Hades and you share more qualities than I had thought."

Jareth snorted. How DARE he be compared to that bastard? "Pardon me, Charon, but I and your King have nothing in common."

Charon gave a hearty laugh. "You are both fighters, my Lord. You are both kings. Furthermore, you both bend the rules to your will but never outright lie to anyone. Both are quite clever as well." He remarked.

Jareth narrowed his eyes. "Maybe so, but the difference is that I don't do all of that for selfish reasons. I'm not a self serving man."

Charon shrugged. "Maybe not, but Lord Hades does not have subjects to fight for. They get judged, they get sent to where they belong, and he just makes sure things are running smoothly. They aren't living, as your subjects are. He doesn't have anyone to fight for, so why should be care?"

He had a good point, but Jareth still wasn't so sure. He kept his voice even and careful. "Maybe instead of just being selfish, he'd be less bitter and brooding if he found something to do that was worthwhile with his time."

He saw that they were at their stop. Charon held his hand and helped him out, not responding to his strong words against his Master. Jareth was a man who LOVED confrontation. He wasn't stupid, but he just HAD to push buttons.

Jareth added more stinging sentences. "Maybe instead of stealing women and forcing them to be your lovers, why don't you win their hearts and be honest? Why don't you go and do good with the powers you have, _Hades_?"

Instantly, the man who had posed as Charon threw his hood back to reveal not the same person he had seen earlier, but in fact, the King of the Underworld. His grey eyes were so stormy, Jareth was almost surprise he didn't vaporize right then and there.

"You are playing with fire, King of Goblins." Hades sneered. "You come into _my_ kingdom and throw insults at me? You have absolutely no right to do that, not even in the laws of your own land!"

Jareth held his hands behind his back, elongating his crystal to a sword once more. "You say that, and yet, you took MY WIFE from the Summerlands and took her straight to Elysium without being judged for your own selfish reasons! I am the one who should be seeking restitution from you!"

He swung his sword at the King once again. Hades commanded the earth to rise up, protecting him from the blow of the celestial bronze. He conjured an iron sword, deadly to fae if hit the right way.

Jareth was smart. He didn't dare let Hades jump up behind him for fear he'd turn around. Instead, he stabbed through the patch of dirt to startle the king and catapulted himself up and over him. He didn't even dare to make sure he wasn't being followed, he knew he was so close to getting out of the Underworld that he just bolted.

Throwing another crystal atop of himself, Jareth made sure that if Hades tried to pierce him at least he would be warned as he would have to pierce the crystal first and have a chance to defend himself. He could hear the god flying closer to him, so he whispered an incantation, producing a bright orange crystal. He quickly threw the crystal behind him where it erupted into flames.

"DO YOU THINK YOU CAN USE FIRE TO KILL ME, GOBLIN KING?" Hades roared. "I AM A GOD!"

Jareth couldn't see hades behind him of course, but he could definitely hear the anger as he moved closer to him. Of COURSE Jareth didn't think he would kill the god, just a mere distraction. He was getting tired, as he hadn't slept at all and with emotional drainage that plagued his body from the whole ordeal. He wasn't able to perform a lot more magic.

Time was short.

He grabbed a hold of the rocks ahead of him and climbed as fast as he could. Unfortunately, climbing wasn't exactly one of Jareth's strengths as he would fly instead. He wasn't bad at it by any means, but he wasn't very fast. He trudged ahead, the thought of Sarah giving him the burst of energy to go on. He would NOT let her soul be taken by the God of Dead and he would be damned if Hades took his soul too!

He was getting closer to the top. He knew that he was only slowing down Hades, but he could hear the god grunting in what seemed like pain. Smiling to himself, Jareth knew that he had succeeded in at least injuring the god with the fire. It was no ordinary fire that he had conjured, but one that was laced with celestial bronze to explode. He knew better than to just rely on his own magic, and had brought with him magic objects to use as weapons.

He was close now. He could see the entrance and the small beam of light that was shining through the manhole. Just as he was pushing up the lid, he felt Hades grab his ankle.

Jareth could imagine Hades's face vividly even if he refused to turn around to see him. His heart was pounding harder, sweat trickling from his brow as he tried to yank his feet from the god. If it weren't for his gripping gloves, he'd fall over by then with the amount of sweat that was covering him.

"Give up, Jareth!" Hades laughed. "You are MINE now too! Don't worry, Sarah will be alright. She is a saint, and I will make sure you get sent to the Mourning Fields, separated and grieving for her for eternity! That is what you get for spiting a God!"

The great, stoic goblin king involuntarily let out a raged sob. He didn't know what to do anymore. He was in pain, he wanted to die. He was too tired to go on, too tired to do anything. Since Sarah had died, he had been absolutely exhausted, and now was on the brink of collapsing.

He had no regrets, living a good life and had taken care of his kingdom. He hoped that the Williams would be taken care of. Sarah was okay, she would be sent to paradise. If she went with hades to be his, then so be it. He knew that Hades could never force her to, so if she chose to, then it would be her own choice. Maybe it was a mistake to come here. Now he would suffer, and Sarah would still be gone from him. Forever.

If he was going to die, he might as well look at his beautiful bride one more time before being banished. His beautiful, gorgeous Sarah. Someone who had given him so much. He only wish he could have saved her too.

He closed his eyes and turned around, ready to die.


	10. Restitution

Jareth was now facing behind him, his eyes still closed, relishing in the few seconds left of life before getting his last glimpse of Sarah. At least he could die knowing that he had tried his best to bring her back.

Right before he opened his eyes, he heard an explosion above his head. Confused, he turned back around and covered his head from any flying objects.

He could feel the warmth of the sun shining on him and could see the red glow of it through his eyes, the light breeze sifting the autumn air reaching his hair and messing it up even more than it had before. He opened his eyes, gaping at the sight before him.

Queen Persephone was holding her hand out towards him.

She was the absolute last person he had expected to see. He felt no malice from her, and noted the determined but sad expression on her face. He took her hand and she easily pulled him up to the earth, being the goddess that she is, she was strong.

He really was weak from the ordeal. He couldn't even walk, but worshipped the ground he was kneeling on, even though it was the back of a bar. He looked up, the goddess not far from his face.

He heard the lid once again covering the manhole again, his eyes never leaving the Queen of the Underworld. The King could've asked a lot of questions, he could've been demanding. And yet, he asked just one word to the goddess in front of him. "Why?"

Persephone sighed, looking away from his eyes, playing with ring on her finger, a wedding ring, Jareth realized. "Jareth, I have been miserable all of my life. Some of those reasons are not my fault, but most are. I thought about what you have said, that I cannot find love by deception."

Jareth realized then that even if she was much, much older than he (she was a goddess after all) then she was still very much like a young girl, inexperienced in the world and while spoiled with riches and things, she was not shown the richness of emotions that life has to offer. He sat there, feeling sorry for her but was not ready to let her off the hook.

"You see," She told him frankly. "The story of Hades making me eat the pomegranate to stay in the Underworld, that wasn't totally true. It's only part of the story. In reality, I had been enamored by him when he visited my father once. I was sick of how my parents had kept me in one place, and I thought that my freedom could be with this god that could give me riches. He also would let me have whoever I wanted as a lover, and was an excellent lover himself. I was a fool, a fool to think that I could change him. But I wanted him, Jareth. I wanted him badly. Every female wanted him, all bowing at his feet and begging to be touched, for every single one of them would experience the best love making in their lives and riches to satisfy them so they would never be without anything again. I gave him a potion once, a love potion."

"Those don't actually work." Jareth finally spoke, his voice clipped. Persephone shrugged. "No, nothing can really make one fall in love for real. Real love is more than that, as you have said. But, it can make you instantly attracted to someone and want to be their slave." She looked at Jareth knowingly, and Jareth internally shuddered, thinking of how he had promised Sarah to be her slave.

"As I was saying," Persephone continued, "I wanted him to fall for me. He did, of course. Even now, when the potion has been long gone, he is still smitten with me. He could've had Aphrodite even, and yet, he chose me. He tricked me into eating his food after kidnapping me, knowing that Zeus and Demeter would never let me go on their own. I didn't know the consequences of eating the pomegranate, and because I did, I would never be free of him even if I wanted to. I am forced to stay in the Underworld for half the year. Jareth, it wasn't because I missed my mother that made me cry and it wasn't staying in the Underworld that made me upset. I didn't mind that part. I minded that I couldn't decide. I minded that he would still take other females after we married. I thought he would stop, I thought I could change him, but I didn't. He _told_ me that he wasn't going to stop sleeping with other women and that I wasn't anything that special to him except for my beauty and my power as a goddess of my own right. And yet, I still thought I could make him mine."

Jareth sat, stunned to say the least. Honestly, only one word came to his mind of how Persephone did all of this.

And that word was "idiotic."

"I know, I know." She said as a tear fell. "Both Hades and I have wronged each other in unspeakable ways, ways even you, a trickster king and master of illusions wouldn't do." She said with a sad smile. "When you saw through my illusion, that was an amazing feat, even for the master of illusions as I am a goddess. You would not be able to have done that without such devotion to your wife. I was jealous that she, a human born girl that turned fae, would make Hades even consider replacing me as queen. She wasn't even a goddess. That's why I wanted you too, to get back at him and to maybe have someone appreciate me."

"What you need," Jareth said plainly, "Is to find something to make your life have moments of happiness. Prior to meeting Sarah, I have found that making others smile and improving their lives is what makes me happy. But, that still made me lonely. I would read, take walks, all these things that makes being alive so great."

Persephone nodded. "This is why I helped you here. The world needs more love. It needs something real and concrete, something you and Sarah definitely have. That is why I defied my own husband, knocking him out and taking you here, with your wife."

She got up and moved aside, lifting up her cape. Jareth breathed in, tears coming through his eyes as he saw his Sarah lying down.

He looked at Persephone, who gave him a nod. "Go to your wife, Goblin King."

He didn't need to be told twice. He was at her side in a second, cradling her in his arms. She looked so pale that he thought that she was dead for one terrifying moment. But then, she began to cough a little. His eyes lit up, holding one of her hands. He noticed that she was wearing her golden wedding dress, which was no doubt heavy on her. He waved his hand across her body, the dress changing to be simple Aboveground clothing, sweatpants with a long sleeved shirt in a comfortable jacket.

Her eyes slowly opened, then turned to him in recognition, wide and bright. "Jareth." She breathed to him. "You did it. You brought me back!"

He cried out, happier than he had been in a long time. He lifted her head to his, and kissed her with all the passion that he could muster, but going slow and being sensitive. She kissed him back with the same eager passion, both crying. His arms were holding her upper body and she had hers around his head and neck, giving him all the love that they had missed for what seemed like so long.

After the kiss, he just buried himself in her neck, missing having her here with him, and alive. "Sarah, oh how I've missed you. I love you so."

Sarah kissed right at the tip of his ear. "Thank you for convincing me to come back. Oh, how it feels so good to be alive! Everything is so beautiful, so vibrant. Elysium has nothing on this life!"

She pulled him away from her so she could directly in his eyes, now somber. Jareth touched her cheek, trying to comfort her. She took a shaky breath. "Jareth, I love you so much. I will spend a million, billion, trillion lifetimes of suffering and pain if it means I get to be next to you. No paradise is worth it without you. I don't want to be away from you ever again."

Jareth pulled her close, letting her cry on his chest, not saying anything for a while. He knew that she felt guilty for nearly rejecting him in Elysium. He shushed her, soothing her hysteria. "Love? It's okay. I know life is painful, it's okay to also not think that way too. It's okay. I can tell you this though, this will NEVER happen again. I am here for you, and we will go through this life with its ups and downs. When we are ready to cross over to the Summerlands, we will do so together, celebrating our long lives with out posterity. If one of us goes first, the other will set everything right then come shortly. At least, that's what I will do. If you decide to stay longer, there is no rush. I will be waiting for you. I don't care if it takes forever, because now I know that now, we are reunited in life now and we will unite in death."

"Forever." Sarah wiped her tears and leaned on his shoulder. "Not long at all, right?" She looked up at his beautiful eyes, running her thumb across his lips.

Jareth held her hand to his face, kissing her palm. "No, not long my precious."

The King of Goblins looped one arm under her knee and the other behind her back and lifted her up.

Not far off, the Queen of the Underworld watched them, her eyes kind and sad. She hoped that even though she had to live with the mistakes she had made, to sleep in the proverbial bed that she had made with Hades, she could still redeem a little by helping the King and his Queen. Satisfied, she went back to the Underworld and tried to find something that was worth living.

* * *

 **Did you guess what Greek Myth the story was based off of? It's Orpheus! Yay! Good job if you figured it out and if not that's okay. It's the idea that Jareth had to go find Sarah, but PLOT TWIST PERSEPHONE HELPS THEM. Just my little take on the myth itself.**


	11. Future

_Two years later_

It took a bit to convince everyone that Sarah was indeed back. Phoebe nearly collapsed in relief at learning that she was in fact, not going to be queen and pledged that for the rest of her life, she would serve Jareth and Sarah. Sarah's friends stood by her side when Jareth wasn't able to, aiding her in her healing. The Kingdom needed some time to really understand what was happening, but the goblins, they could all tell who was their true leaders and the subjects all accepted that this was really their queen. After a few days, everyone resumed to their normal positions and gave the king and queen get well gifts as well any wedding presents.

The hardest to convince though, were her family. Robert had finally truly accepted that she was gone in death and was forced to realize that it was all for nothing, but, as he had accepted her place as queen, he slowly came around. When he realized that she was actually there, he just held her tightly, whispering how much he loved her. He hugged Jareth too, grateful to have both of them back as he had found his note regarding his trip to the Underworld.

Sarah talked about the future again. Ah, the future. Before she came into his life and during her temporary absence, Jareth didn't believe he HAD a future worth looking forward to. But now, he was excited beyond belief. He wasn't ever going to take her for granted. Well, he'd try anyways. But he would do his best every day, every hour, every moment for the woman who made him smile.

At this very moment, he heard a knock on his study. Sarah peeked in, looking beautiful and radiant. She hardly wore make up as a human and still looked perfect then. Now, she was still the epitome of grace and perfection in his mind.

She had been sick the past few days, hence why she was still wearing her nightgown with a quilt wrapped around her, hair out of place and some bags under her eyes. It never ceased to amaze Jareth how she was still so breathtaking to him even in such a state. Though they had been a couple for 8 years and married for 2, he still had this boyish grin whenever he saw her walk in.

He rose to meet her, kissing her despite the fact that she had been sick and leading her to the couch. He held her hands in his, looking at her bright eyes. "How are you, my love?" He asked tenderly.

Sarah snuck in another kiss on his neck. Jareth blushed, something he hadn't done a lot in the past until he met his wife.

Pleased with herself, Sarah held up a crystal for him to see before this turned into a cliché sex-in-the-office kind of deal.

Jareth looked at the crystal curiously. He didn't say anything, just at the crystal and back at her, like a child waiting for permission to open his Christmas present.

Sarah tossed it at his direction and of course, he caught the sphere with ease. The moment it ended in hand, it transformed from a crystal into some kind of cloth.

Jareth realized it was two separate kinds of clothing. At first, he was really confused, his brows scrunched together what they were until he finally held them up.

They were two jumpers, both dark grey with silver and gold trimming. Baby sized.

One said _Prince_ and the other _Princess_.

"I couldn't find any that said Prince sadly, so I modified it myself." Sarah said quietly. "Sexism is such a thing and it's so annoying. Also I think that's why I've been sick the past few days without actually having any kind of disease." Her voice was restrained from trying to not jump up and scream with joy.

The look on Jareth's face was just precious. His eyes were big, and full of tears threatening to spill out. His voice came in a little whisper. "I'm going to be a dad?"

Sarah nodded, breaking into the biggest smile.

Jareth clutched the little jumpers to his face, looking back and forth from the little baby clothes to his wife. "I'm going to be a dad!"

He set the clothes aside and pulled Sarah to kiss her, overwhelmed with joy. He had always wanted to raise little ones as his own, and now was his chance.

Sobbing and breathing with joy, he pulled back to also see happy tears on Sarah's face. Oh, how fate was finally blessing him and his wife win a family of their own. After all the trials they went through, this really was something they deserved.

He got off the couch, making Sarah a little confused. He knelt at her feet, starting to lift her skirt up. She put a hand on his, stopping him.

"Jareth." She warned, though she had a hint of playfulness in her voice. "Not right this instant."

Jareth snorted good naturedly. "Oh Sarah, at least give me some credit. I'm not trying to seduce you right when you tell me you're pregnant. I want to say hello to my son and my daughter."

He raised his eyebrows, asking for her permission. She took her hands off his, letting him lift the skirt up above her underwear and belly. Smiling, he gently put an ungloved hand on her womb, and rubbed it a little cooing.

"Awww, you both are going to be so good looking." He looked at Sarah to see her swatting at him, laughing all the same. Cradling her belly lovingly, Jareth placed a kiss right above her belly button and rested his head on her stomach. "For real though." He said softly. "I'm going to take care of you. I'm going to protect and fight you and do my very best. I can't wait to meet you two."

He looked at Sarah, a little scared. Confused, she ran her fingers through his hair, giving him a bit of comfort. "Jareth, what's wrong?"

He turned to look at her, his cheek still touching her belly. "What if I'm a bad parent? I mean I know I'm not my parents but I'm still scared. They deserve the best of the best." His eyes wide, voice small and quiet.

Sarah rubbed his cheek with her thumb, touched at his humble declaration. "Hey, it's going to be okay." She reassured him. "You are NOTHING like your parents. By already deciding to be a good dad, you have made that step. You will be amazing and they will love you. Think of it this way, though you have trauma and issues, you still became a good person and turned out okay, right? And I'm here by your side. You aren't alone. My parents will help, hell, we have an entire kingdom to choose from to help us." She said theatrically. "Of course we'll be hands on parents but no need to worry too much. You're going to be the greatest dad and our kids will adore you."

Jareth didn't say anything, just looked at her with thankful eyes. He was reminded once again that she would not be gone from him as she was their second wedding night. He was also reminded again how special she was to him.

Sighing contently, he closed his eyes and felt around win magic, one of his hands resting on her belly and the other slipped up to touch he underside of her left breast to feel her heart, where her body was powering the life of their babies. Sarah knew he was feeling for the two life forms, as she hadn't been pregnant for more than a month. As fae, they could detect the sex of the children as well.

His eyes opened. "Yes." He breathed. "A boy and a girl. They're so, so tiny." The way he said that with such awe filled Sarah with an emotion she couldn't quite pin point.

"I wonder what they'll look like." Sarah mused. "I just hope they don't inherit your insane hair."

Jareth chuckled. He slid her dress back over her body and once again sat against her, one arm around her shoulder, the other around her belly, holding a very protective stance. He flicked a finger, the quilt blanket coming around to cradle them both. Instinctively, Sarah laid her head on his shoulder and he laid his head on hers. "Precious, now you know my hair isn't from genetics, but my own stubbornness."

He felt Sarah scoff oh so quietly. "Well Jareth, I just hope the kids won't be as stubborn as you. You're insane and they'll be kicking goblins before they can even walk, I'm sure."

"Now don't act like you don't love kicking them too, you know." He ran his fingers down her sides, making her yell from the tickle. "You naughty, naughty girl."

"Me? Naughty?" She purred at him, tracing her finger down his chest, feeling the vibrations he made of satisfaction and lust. She dipped her head to kiss his collar bone, tracing her tongue around it.

"Yes, very naughty." He licked the back of her ear, making her yelp a little. Without warning, Sarah grabbed his wrists and pinned them above his head.

His smile was absolutely infuriating now. "You were saying about not having sex right this instant?"

She responded with a little nibble on his neck, making his eyes roll back in complete bliss and a small moan escaped his lips. Oh, once she started to nibble his neck, it was all over.

"Technicalities, technicalities." She rolled her eyes. "Just shut up and take my dress off, slave. Before I balloon to the size of a blimp from carrying YOUR children and we can't make love for a while."

Jareth felt her release his arms and pull back, flipping her hair to one side to expose her pale, long neck. Damn, she was truly sexier than any woman alive.

He grabbed the hem of her skirt, a feral smile on his lips. "As you wish, my Queen."

* * *

 **I just had to add in a cute, sexy scene in here! They deserve it after all they went through, anything for my favorite couple!**

 **Thanks for reading! I wanted to take a chance of writing something darker than I usually write. I'm thinking of trying my hand at a really dark fic next, one that will be rated M this time. As I had made a few stories based on myths, I'm thinking of using a real life example. It's easier for me to take stories and sort of change or bend them to my will. Stay tuned for it! Love you all and thanks for reading again.**


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